What are you watching tonight?

[Bruce Rioja]

Not tonight but last night I went to the Octagon Theatre to see a new adaptation of The Book Thief.

It's been written as a musical and is debuting at the Octagon. I'm not much of a reviewer but I can only say I urge you to catch it if you can. Runs until 15th October.

I'm intrigued as much as anything as to how or why someone would make a musical version, usually jolly affairs, out of a heart-rending story narrated by 'Death'.
Still, I'll find out this evening.

[TANGODANCER]

Not tonight but last night I went to the Octagon Theatre to see a new adaptation of The Book Thief.

It's been written as a musical and is debuting at the Octagon. I'm not much of a reviewer but I can only say I urge you to catch it if you can. Runs until 15th October.

I'm intrigued as much as anything as to how or why someone would make a musical version, usually jolly affairs, out of a heart-rending story narrated by 'Death'.
Still, I'll find out this evening.

Not having read the book, your comment did prompt thought Bruce. Some of the best Musicals I have seen around have darker sides, South Pacific, war and loss, West Side Story, tragedy from start to finish, Carousel (Billy Bigolo touches on domestic violence as well as his story is from beyond the grave" and kept alive by every Liverpool fan who ever sang "You'll never walk alone") Oliver, the seamy Charles Dickens world of the working class. There are so many, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon amongst them. etc.etc.

I think it fair to say "musicals" really only reflect life with song and dance .I will look out for The Book Thief.

[TANGODANCER]

This on B.B.C I.Player. A brutally honest and rewarding interview on HardTalk with Tony Adams.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... nyAdams%5D

My respect for him is top notch after his frank honesty on drink, gambling, mental illness and his work to help other professional footballers. He lays out his whole career on the line and hides nothing. A brave guy I'll happily raise my hat to. Compulsive viewing.

p.s. I hope he wins Strictly now. If the fans watched this he'd walk it.

[TANGODANCER]

Watched "The Girl with the Bracelet." French with English sub titles. Thought provoking family drama based around a murder.

[Bruce Rioja]

Listened to rather than watched, but what on earth has happened to the 18:30 'comedy' slot on R4.
Over the years this has been the launchpad for so much magnificent British comedy.

Lat night driving home I listened to ''Whatever Next?' With Miles Jupp'.

It was excruciating. Seriously. I was actually going red on Miles Jupp's behalf it was so bad. Surely, a true friend would stop him and say - "Stop there, mate. That's just fecking embarrassingly not funny. Get a job with Amazon or summat".

[TANGODANCER]

Just finished watching the four episodes of Inside Man with David Tenant and my favourite American male actor, Stanley Tucci. Really like Tucci and have seen him in everything from comedy to drama. He's really good on menace.

[boltonboris]

Watched episodes 1 & 2 of Dahmer this week on Netflix. Jeez, it's bleak. Not one I can binge watch, but certainly enjoyed them

[Bruce Rioja]

Watched episodes 1 & 2 of Dahmer this week on Netflix. Jeez, it's bleak. Not one I can binge watch, but certainly enjoyed them

Boris - have you ever watched 'Des'? It's a three-part TV series in which David Tennant plays Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen with seriously disturbing accuracy.

[Prufrock]

Criminal: UK on Netflix is also fab. Different high profile actor plays a suspect interviewed by a police team in each episode. Highlights include (unsurprisingly) Davey T and Sharon Horgan but also (more surprisingly to me) Kunal Nayyar (Raj from Big Bang Theory) and even Kit Harrington comes across as made of flesh not wood..

[boltonboris]

Watched episodes 1 & 2 of Dahmer this week on Netflix. Jeez, it's bleak. Not one I can binge watch, but certainly enjoyed them

Boris - have you ever watched 'Des'? It's a three-part TV series in which David Tennant plays Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen with seriously disturbing accuracy.

Yes! He was truly excellent in that! They played video recordings after the programme and his imitation of him was almost perfect

[KeyserSoze]

Criminal: UK on Netflix is also fab. Different high profile actor plays a suspect interviewed by a police team in each episode. Highlights include (unsurprisingly) Davey T and Sharon Horgan but also (more surprisingly to me) Kunal Nayyar (Raj from Big Bang Theory) and even Kit Harrington comes across as made of flesh not wood..

Did you ever watch the other syndicated versions set in different European countries? On Netflix as well, worth your time.

[Bruce Rioja]

Binge-watched three episodes of The Walk-In last night.A hard-hitting affair based on the activity of far Right groups and the true story of Matthew Collins' conversion from poacher to gamekeeper.

Now, fine actor though Stephen Graham is, I'm getting a little tired of him playing every character he plays as a Scouser. Collins was born and raised in London. Sean Bean's the same in that he plays everyone as a dour Yorkshire man.
Graham was on TV the other week boasting about his range of accents; be nice if he made more of an effort to use them.

[Gary the Enfield]

Binge-watched three episodes of The Walk-In last night.A hard-hitting affair based on the activity of far Right groups and the true story of Matthew Collins' conversion from poacher to gamekeeper.

Now, fine actor though Stephen Graham is, I'm getting a little tired of him playing every character he plays as a Scouser. Collins was born and raised in London. Sean Bean's the same in that he plays everyone as a dour Yorkshire man.
Graham was on TV the other week boasting about his range of accents; be nice if he made more of an effort to use them.

Hoylake, Toxteth, Speke and New Brighton?

[Worthy4England]

Watched "The case against Adnan Syed" from 2019, last night. From the Serial Podcast in 2014, he's just had his conviction overturned. What a story of a stitch-up that's been. Not that I could say he "didn't do it," just that from the evidence presented including a very shady key witness, I have no idea how they managed to convince a jury that he did, beyond reasonable doubt.

The "politicking" for the last 3/4 years, people getting involved one side or another because they have an election coming up (district Attorney's etc.) has been absolutely third world. One of the strongest reasons not to elect a judiciary.

[Harry Genshaw]

Binge-watched three episodes of The Walk-In last night.A hard-hitting affair based on the activity of far Right groups and the true story of Matthew Collins' conversion from poacher to gamekeeper.

Now, fine actor though Stephen Graham is, I'm getting a little tired of him playing every character he plays as a Scouser. Collins was born and raised in London. Sean Bean's the same in that he plays everyone as a dour Yorkshire man.
Graham was on TV the other week boasting about his range of accents; be nice if he made more of an effort to use them.

I can only think of his portrayal as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire as a role where he wasn't Scouse. He did play Capone with a frightening intensity though.

Another shout out for Dahmer here too. Grim but great.

[Bruce Rioja]

Hoylake, Toxteth, Speke and New Brighton?

[Bruce Rioja]

I can only think of his portrayal as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire as a role where he wasn't Scouse. He did play Capone with a frightening intensity though.

Haven't seen that. He did also play Anthony Provenzano in The Irishman. However, when set against the wonderful Bronx accents of De Niro and Pacino, our lad was left sounding a little like 'Jamie Carragher does New Jersey'.

[Gary the Enfield]

I can only think of his portrayal as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire as a role where he wasn't Scouse. He did play Capone with a frightening intensity though.

Haven't seen that. He did also play Anthony Provenzano in The Irishman. However, when set against the wonderful Bronx accents of De Niro and Pacino, our lad was left sounding a little like 'Jamie Carragher does New Jersey'.

He was Baby Face Nelson in 'Public Enemies' too. Meh

[Bruce Rioja]

Just watched The Gentlemen.
I hadn't heard of it, but if you like Guy Ritchie's stuff then you really should watch it. Strong cast too.

My only problem was in my head, Hugh Grant's character kept morphing into 'Daddy' from the 'Juliet Bravo' episode of League of Gentlemen

[Bruce Rioja]

Listened to an interview with Swedish producer, Ruben Östlund, on my way home the other evening, talking about his new film 'Triange of Sadness' which sounds superb.
It has a limited release on Friday so unfortunately we'll have to traipse into Manchester to see it.
I rather hoped that 'The Light' might have looking to pick up on this kind of film.