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DVDs in the Works

Archive for October, 2011

Spine-tingling stuff in the works

With a whole weekend ahead of us to get in the mood for Halloween, we have monsters on the mind. BBC America is getting in on the act by running a marathon of Ghoul Britannia films starting Sunday at noon ET with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with Kenneth Branagh. It’s worth a revisit if you were lucky enough to catch one of the National Theatre Live feeds last spring with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating as Doctor Frankenstein and the Monster.

Online, BBC America will be counting votes until 11:59PM ET on Sunday, October 30th in its costume contest. Vote here for your favorite finalists in five different categories. Looks like this is Doctor Who’s year, and if you’re wracking your mind for something completely different in festivities, BBC America is brimming with ideas on how to throw a Doctor Who party.

In the coming weeks, DVDs of Bedlam: Season 1, Whitechapel: The Ripper Returns and, of course, Doctor Who are guaranteed to extend the chills of the season. Looking forward to next year, the next volume of Primeval is on its way, and if you like your monsters prehistoric, Planet Dinosaur will breathe life into the latest discoveries.

On the film front, we have been following a little Hammer production of The Woman in Black, currently scheduled for February 3, 2012. The modest two-character play based on the 1983 Susan Hill novel has been packing London houses for more than a decade, and we’re told that it’s still the scariest show on the boards. The film, which promises to be more elaborate, stars Daniel Radcliffe with Janet McTeer and Ciaran Hinds. We’ll keep an eye out for that DVD as well.

MI-5 Volume 10 marks its final season

MI-5: Volume 10

After ten years of undercover scenarios ripped from the headlines and our deepest fears, MI-5 is coming to a close, with its last season currently airing opposite Downton Abbey in the UK. Many of the long-time followers of MI-5 have wondered whether this season will at long last bring the relationship between Harry (Peter Firth) and Ruth (Nicola Walker) to a satisfactory resolution. Security remains high on that front, but we did find this tidbit in Radio Times:

“The romance was never scripted,” admits Firth. “It was her and I flirting in takes, holding looks too long, lingering over lines. The writers picked up on that and it just grew from there. Nicola Walker, who plays Ruth, is a bit unpredictable – you never know what she’s going to do – but she’s an utter joy to play alongside.”

To commemorate the series history, the MI-5: Volume 10 DVD extras include Top Ten MI-5 Moments chosen by the cast and crew and Harry’s Game, devoted to MI-5’s most constant character. Look for the DVD earlier next year.

Karl Pilkington is An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad

Karl Pilkington needs no introduction to fans of The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO, or fans of Ricky Gervais’s XFM London radio show and podcasts. His plain, often ill-informed but always honest observations have kept Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant laughing for a number of years, and last year they decided to send him on a dream trip round the world to see seven wonders: the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Petra, Chichen Itza, the Pyramids of Giza, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero and Macchu Picchu.

Spectacular as these attractions would be to most people, Pilkington is not so keen, especially whenever the accommodations, food, language and facilities take him out of his comfort zone. The inevitable result is dismay, disbelief and dissing the two masterminds who put him up to it. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant make brief appearances, usually to set up some not-to-be-missed treat like this encounter with an Amazonian tribe of reformed cannibals. When the series aired on Discovery’s Science channel (and on Canada’s Discovery Channel) last winter, it rose to become the highest viewed program in the Science Channel’s history. The DVD (which comes out January 10, 2012) also includes The Preview Show with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, deleted scenes and a photo gallery.

Merlin’s magic grows from strength to strength

Merlin: Season 3

It comes as no surprise to fans that Merlin established a niche for itself on SyFy. The youth-oriented take on the Arthurian legend has something for everybody: attractive leads in Colin Morgan and Bradley James, Katie McGrath as the relentlessly dangerous yet deliciously dressed Morgana, solid support from Anthony Head and Richard Wilson, “eye candy” art direction and enough twists on the traditional legend to keep you guessing. SyFy has already announced that Season Four (which just kicked off on the BBC) will air in the US in 2012. (Canadian broadcast details are not yet known.) With Season Four looming, the DVD of Merlin: Season 3 is expected to release early next year, in time to refresh your memory of last winter’s broadcast. This is the season that opened with screaming mandrakes, giant scorpions, a siege on Camelot by an army of 20,000 and a dozen or two sword-wielding skeletons. Semi-regulars and guest stars include Emilia Fox (David Copperfield –‘99), Miriam Margolyes (Oliver Twist –’85, Blackadder, Freud), Pauline Collins (Bleak House, Upstairs Downstairs – ITV) and a goblin voiced by Mark Williams (Harry Potter films, Sense & Sensibility).