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Old square eyesWatching Television

Despite the cost, I have the minimum CableTV service. Armed with my remotes I spend most of my life continually surfing the channels watching all and nothing all at once . . . day after day, year after year. With probably a thirty second attention span it is very rare for me to actually watch an entire film or programme, but if I do, it could well be one of the following.

Films :

Title : Children Of The Marshland
Actors : Jaques Villeret, Jaques Gamblin, Andre Dussolier, Michel Serraut, Issabelle carre, Eric Cantona.
Subject : Nostalgic drama in which a woman recalls her life as a young girl growing up in a marshland community in France. (French with subtitles) 1999
Comment : Atmospheric beautifully filmed portrayal of an idylic sort of lifestyle . . made me cry at the very end for the main 'star' of the film. Excellent
Title : Prague Duet
Actors : Gina Gershon, Rade Serbedzija, Patricia Hodge, Otakar Brousek
Subject : Drama. A doctor decides to travel to Prague to attempt to learn more about her family history and what she finds out may put her budding romance with a writer, and a former political dissident, in jeopardy, as their famalies share a tragic secret. 1998
Comment : Slushy end . . nice.
Title : Leaving Normal
Actors : Christine Lahti, Meg Tilly, Patrika Darbo, Lenny Von Dohlen
Subject : Road movie about a tough bar waitress and a battered wife who set off from Wyoming for a better life in Alaska. Their drive across America becomes a journey of discovery as they encounter a series of eccentric characters and overcome several setbacks to reach their new home.
Comment : More than a hint of hocus pocus . . . and of course I think the tough bar waitress is cute!
Title : It's A Wonderful Life
Actors : James Stewart
Subject : Life.
Comment : Typical sickly tear jerking Christmas fare but such a classic. It's a wonderful film.
Title : Same Time Next Year
Actors : Alan Alda
Subject : A couple meet throughout the course of their lives for one weekend a year for an illicit romance.
Comment : Nice.
Title : Terminator 1 & 2
Actors : Arnold Schwartzneger
Subject : Pure fantasy action and effects.
Comment : All time favourite action movies.
Title : Easyrider
Actors :  
Subject : The impossible dream.
Comment : THE biker film . . . sorry but I love it. It influenced a large part of my life.
Title : Schindlers List
Actors :  
Subject : Horror
Comment : Absolute horror . . . lest we forget.
Title : Alien / Aliens
Actors : Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn
Subject : Blood and guts futuristic alien fighting.
Comment : I'm not normally into blood and guts but these ARE classics
Title : 12 Angry Men
Actors : Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Clugman
Subject : Sidney Lumet's jury room drama
Comment : Dated classic . . . brilliant.
Title : The Bridges Of Madison County
Actors : Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep
Subject : Romantic drama about a passionate affair between an ageing photographer and a lonely housewife in 1960s Iowa. 1995
Comment : Brilliant. Cry and cry and cry. Just brilliant.
Title : City Of Angels
Actors : Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage
Subject : Haunting love story about benign angels who wander through the unseen shadows of lives in crisis. 1998
Comment : Thought provoking and pretty captivating. Neat - but what an ending!!!
Title : As Good As It Gets
Actors : Jack Nicholson, Helen hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Subject : Heart warming comedy drama about a disgruntled, misanthropic novelist with O.C.D. who falls for a feisty waitress and gradualy rediscovers his emotions. 1997
Comment : Brilliant!!!
Title : El Dorado
Actors : John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey
Subject : Classic Western. Gunfighter Cole Thornton joins forces with sherrif JP Harrah to rid the town of El Dorado of a cattle baron's hired guns. As Thornton has a paralysed arm and Harrah has a drink problem, they face a stern test. 1967
Comment : Comfortable classic old western. Excellent macho fantasy stuff as are most of John Waynes cowboy films.

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SitCom :

Title : Frasier
Actors :  
Subject :  
Comment : Watch them all, over and over again, every night on the comedy channel . . . one favourite episode is where Frasier supports an election candidate who reveals he has been abducted by aliens.
Title : The Good Life
Actors : Richard Briers, Felicety Kendal
Subject : Pursueing the self sufficiency dream in suburbia.
Comment : Very dated . . . but there is something about Felicety Kendal!
Title : The Young Ones
Actors : Rick Mayell, Aid Edmonson etc. etc.
Subject : University students.
Comment : Ground breaking stuff in its day and still makes me laugh . . . some good music too.
Title : Dads Army
Actors : Arthur Lowe etc.
Subject : WW2 home guard
Comment : So silly but there is something noble about the Captain Mainwering character.
Title : Fawlty Towers
Actors : John Cleese & Co
Subject : Bournemouth hotel
Comment : Classic madness . . . too few.
Title : Black Adder
Actors : Rowan Atkinson
Subject :  
Comment : Not the first series . . but the rest are just pure brilliance. How extraordinarily tearful was the final series end. Can't help but use some of their lines in conversation. Better a plagiarist than . . . a git!?

 

Comedy :

Title : Have I Got News For You
Actors : Ian Hislop, Paul Merton etc.
Subject : Current affairs quiz show
Comment : Clever, clever people. I can't keep up but love it nonetheless.
Title : The Paul Merton Show
Actors : Paul Merton
Subject : Apparently whatever comes to mind
Comment : Very crazy but very clever and funny.
Title : Billy Connoly
Actors : Billy Connoly
Subject :  
Comment : A master craftsman with strangely amusing swearing? Fucking brilliant.

 

Science Fiction :

Title : Star Trek
Actors : William Shatner
Subject :  
Comment : It has its place although absolutely NOT DS9 ... why don't they put more lights on!

 

Soaps : Not in my house! Cant stand ANY of them. Bad scripts, bad acting . . . waste of time.

 

Natural History :

Title : Anything narrated by David Attenborough
Actors : Wildlife
Subject : Life
Comment : Somehow narration by David Attenborough makes ANY wildlife program authoritative and good to watch.

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