While previous series might have seen the franchise go off the boil, there seems to be an honest approach to this new run – recording in front of a studio audience was always going to be a popular choice, of couse – and hopefully this will translate to the finished show.

As you can see below, work continues apace editing the series…

(Via BleedingCool)

Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss recently made some comments during a web chat about whether the hit series would ever explore Sherlock Holmes past and sounded a little disinterested in the idea:

“Far better to leave things in everyone’s imaginations. It’s nice to give little hints here and there but never a full answer.”

However Gatiss did seem intrigued with some of the possible angles that may be possible if Sherlock looked into the past of it’s main character’s including Sherlock Holmes‘ brother Mycroft:

“Why are the Holmes brothers the way they are? What are their parents like? Maybe we’ll see one day.”

He also commented that the series has cut such references before and while he does not feel that a journey into the past may be the best thing for the show, there are others who have touched upon the subject with positive results:

“We actually cut a bit from ‘Pink’ which gave a bit too much away about the obvious frisson of animosity that exists between them. It’s not there in the original stories it comes entirely from Billy Wilder and Izzy Diamond’s brilliant ‘Private Life of Sherlock Holmes’ and Christopher Lee’s cold, disdainful Mycroft. If you haven’t seen it – do!”

(Via CultFix)

Declaring himself to be “genuinely, utterly thrilled”, Moffat will also have been pleased to learn that A Scandal in Belgravia, which opened the second series of the updated Sherlock Holmes story, was recognised for sound and editing, confirmation (if any was needed) that the producers (of which Moffat is one) have done stirling work in not only hiring the right people but pushing their vision of the show so that everyone from the director all the way down to the runners knows exactly what is expected of them.

Congratulations to all concerned!

(The main TV BAFTA awards, which will surely honour Sherlock in some way, take place on May 27th.)

We continue our mission to review every James Bond film ever released as we make our way towards the release of Skyfall in October…

Thunderball is everything one would expect from classic James Bond as there are enough beautiful women, gadgets and action for everyone. However the film as it stands today is a bit drawn out and lacks the intensity of some other Bond films, such as Goldfinger or Dr. No.

While these points are certainly the heart and soul of any classic James Bond adventure there are holes in this particular boat which sometime make it feel a bit dead in the water.

The film was one of Sean Connery’s favorite Bond films to work on as well as being a critical success, with Thunderball easily overtaking the worldwide cinema totals of the first two James Bond films.

While the film is a decent entry in the James Bond film library in terms of ideas and set pieces, it is hurt by the dragging nature of some of the dialogue scenes and the revelation of some major plot points. A big distraction was how long it took for the film to really get going, a more important aspect of a great feature film toady then it would have been in 1965. Now the film has to compete with the breakneck pace and speed of the modern action movie, as well as the short attention spans of the internet and cable TV era.

Usually this would be a boon rather then a minor flaw, as today’s action films seem to rattle the cinema goers senses with huge and random explosions, improbable action sequences and over dramatic slow motion shots when a bit more back building of the characters might seem in order through actual dialogue. It helps us understand the motivations and psyche of our heroes and our villains better and makes for a deeper film.

Even 007 Loves Cult Britannia

Thunderball did feature some excellent underwater filming, with shots that were breathtaking and well done, especially for their time. These sequences are both a blessing and a curse as they are wonderful in execution but like some of the dialogue sequences, go on for far too long. Surely this is partially due to the expense put into the shots as well as the fact that the production team knew they had something special on their hands. However, in this case less would have truly been more.

Of course, this is the one Bond film to get made twice, due to a legal battle between screenwriters Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, who claim the James Bond creator Ian Fleming based his 1961 Thunderball novel on a script they had worked on. As a result, after much legal wrangling, Never Say Never Again was released in 1983, mostly because McClory retained filming rights to the novel. This later version also starred Sean Connery as James Bond and was the only Bond film not to be an EON production.

Another scene of interest for Bond and film buffs alike is the sequence when James Bond is thrown into Largo’s pool along with a bunch of hungry sharks. Connery was not too pleased with the scene to begin with and insisted that a plexiglass barrier be installed in to the pool for the scenes. Ultimately, despite the safety precautions, one of the sharks got around the barrier and Connery had to get out of the water fast before he was attacked.

To be sure, this film shines when it comes to locations, design and cinematographic work, but fall s a bit short when trying to keep a viewer engaged over the two plus hours it is on screen.

This is not the worst James Bond film in the last fifty years by far, but neither is it the best of the titles either. All in all this is an enjoyable film with some great cinematography, great locations and some great acting. It is just a shame it goes on for about forty five minutes too long.

As such, and given that Scott originates from a few miles away from the Cult Britannia headquarters, we’ve opted to cover this particular movie.

After all, Alien might have been the work of Dan O’Bannon, but it wouldn’t have worked without Scott’s deep vision and HR Geiger’s revolutionary designs. Similarly, Prometheus is a work heavily influenced and generated by the director and while our remit is British-originated sci-fi and fantasy, we’re stretching the definition slightly to accomodate this particular movie.

So yes, we are covering Prometheus, a stunning-looking movie which has an amazing cast of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron and is set for theatrical release on June 1st 2012.

Much has been written about the similarities with Alien, which the film prequels. But how close are they really?

Interestingly, Alien looks almost guerrilla in style by comparison!

What do you think? Will you be catching Prometheus – potentially THE movie experience of 2012?

As more and more information leaks about the upcoming Red Dwarf X, it would seem that this really is an attempt to bring Dwarf back to it’s glory days.

Howard Goodall

Besides being filmed in front of a live audience for the first time in thirteen years and bringing back real sets rather then the CGI created ones that appeared in Back To Earth, Red Dwarf X will also mark the return of legendary composer Howard Goodall to the series.

Goodall has worked on such programmes as Blackadder, Not the 9′ O Clock News and the two feature film Mr. Bean productions. He also of course composed all of the Red Dwarf incidental music and themes for the first six series and contributed to Red Dwarf seven and Back to Earth as well.

Red Dwarf X is looking to be a Dwarf fan’s dream from all we have heard so far and it looks like all will be very happy when the Red Dwarf crew return in October of this year.

Riding on the wave of interest started by the excellent series The Walking Dead on AMC in the States, BBC Three has thrown it’s hat in the ring with a new three part zombie series titled In The Flesh.

The new series is written and created by Dominic Mitchell, who recently was the winner in the BBC Writersroom Northern Voices competition.

All three installments will be sixty minutes in length.

Considering that the series has recently been commissioned, not much is currently known about the new drama beyond this brief synopsis released by the BBC:

“…The Zombie Uprising has been quelled by the Human Volunteer Force and life is starting to return to normal. Any surviving zombies have been captured, medicated, held in an NHS holding facility in Norfolk and are being slowly re-integrated back into society, with the help of contact lenses and cover up mousse. The story follows teenager Kieran Walker and boldly goes where no zombie drama has gone before.”

Kate Harwood, Controller, Drama Series & Serials called In The Flesh: “a young and innovative new writer’s first television commission”, and indeed, the concept is indeed a little bit different then the regular ‘zombies eating brains’ fare.

Considering the BBC’s track record with dramas along similar lines, such as Being Human, which was recently commissioned for it’s fifth series or the recently cancelled The Fades, the latter of which had strong positive reviews in the genre press and a small fan base despite the cancellation.

In The Flesh could be a big series for BBC Three and is worth keeping an eye on as it moves towards production.

Wallace and Gromit prepare to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

Nick Park and his wonderful clay animated creations Wallace and Gromit, will appear in a special short film to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The one minute short, titled A Jubilee Bunt-a-thon, will be shown at fourteen National Trust locations at parties on the 4th June.

Park, creator of the dog and inventor team which are now known worldwide, is both amazed at the heights his creations have reached and also is honored to be a part of the Diamond Jubilee:

Nick Park

“I have to pinch myself when I think how far Wallace and Gromit have come.

“From ideas in my head, to film stars working with great organisations such as the National Trust.

“The National Trust has a special place in my heart from a childhood memory of completing a paint-by-numbers at Stourhead [Wiltshire], to Montacute House [Somerset], on which we based Tottington Hall in The Curse Of The Were-rabbit.”

National Trust visitor experience director Tony Berry shares Nick Park’s enthusiasm for Wallace and Gromit:

“Wallace And Gromit’s Jubilee Bunt-a-thon…was made exclusively for the National Trust and we are really excited that it will encourage the nation to join us for an extra special Diamond Jubilee celebration.

Wallace and Gromit have already received the royal seal of approval, with the Duchess of Cornwall revealing that the pair are her husband’s “favourite people in the world”.

The special short will be shown on 4th June at Tyntesfield House in Wraxall, North Somerset, Wallington in Northumberland, Beningbrough Hall in York, Belton in Grantham, Attingham in Shrewsbury, Powis Castle and Penrhyn Castle in Wales, Basildon Park in Reading, Morden Hall Park in London, Felbrigg Hall in Norwich, Anglesey Abbey in Cambridge, and Springhill and Castle Ward in Northern Ireland.

A special behind the scenes documentary  was also made for this project and will be shown at the National Trust’s Jubilee parties.

(Via BBC News)

See, The Punishment Of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of puns relating in some tangential way to Sherlock Holmes and frankly, the title itself is rather accurate. Read cover to cover, it’s a punishing read. This is definitely a book to be read in small doses, perhaps on the toilet or on a short train journey. Because if you read it for extended periods of time, you will throw it across the room. That I promise you.

The puns themselves are for the most part groan-worthy. In fact, I don’t recall actually laughing at a single one. And for the purposes of this review, I’m not some sort of stuffy Victorian sitting in front of a fire getting offended at the placing of puns into Holmes’ mouth or whatnot. (Sample of something I’m not saying: “Phsaw! Holmes would never say ‘A bird in the Strand has worse doo in the butch!’”) It’s the puns that hurt, not the use of my beloved characters.

Just to clarify, I don’t think this is a bad book. It certainly does exactly what it says on the tin (and in a bizarrely honest blurb, warns you in advance that some of the puns will offend you) and I can’t fault it for that. During the course of reading this, I’ve determined that reading a ton of puns isn’t to my taste, even if composing them is. You may have different tastes so nobody’s stopping you from buying it if you want to. I’m just letting you know exactly what you’re in for.

You can buy The Punishment of Sherlock Holmes direct from MX Publishing or on Amazon in both physical and Kindle formats.

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