[Theater] Kinky Boots (Marina Bay Sands) Review

My love for the original Kinky Boots movie made the decision to watch the Atlantis staging of the musical an easy theater decision to make. But when provided a chance to catch the international touring production while in Singapore came up, it took a while to reassure myself that the cost was totally worth it.

And yes, the show was even more amazing that I had expected it to be and I'm super glad that we watched. I wish I had been able to catch it with my partner Tobie, but at least I wasn't entirely alone either.

[TV] Merlin: Season 5 (BBC) Review

Wow, I somehow made it to the end of the Merlin series thanks to iflix. It was a bit of a uphill climb past the third season but I finally got to the end and I think the show may have gone a season too long or something like that? It's not like the show was ever an accurate translation of the Arthurian myths into a television series.

But hey this is the end game and all the pieces are on the board. Arthur is truly king of Camelot. The villains against against the kingdom are fully revealed. The only thing left is for Merlin to stop hiding the fact that he has magic. But hey, it's only taken us five seasons to get to this point, eh?

But at the same time it wasn't a great ending to the show and I think the big confrontation of sorts that we wanted to happen wasn't quite what was expected. And in the end it just sort of ends and it didn't quite feel like the major culmination of Merlin as a character. Alas.

[TV] Merlin: Season 4 (BBC) Review

For the show Merlin it's been sort of like the will they or won't they dynamic of many shows. In this case it has been will they or won't they show Arthur as a proper king of Camelot and how long will we deal with young Merlin? But hey, the third season tired to address that and this fourth one marks the beginning of Arthur's reign!

Well, maybe not quite the official start. He's sort of an acting king while the nearly undying Uther Pendragon remains just barely alive. But it's only a matter of time, right? And in the meantime things can only get better with Arthur running the kingdom, right?

This oddly light view of the Arthurian myths is a strange creation and one that I can't say that I actually love as a series but I felt like I was too deep down the rabbit hole to turn back. I just had to finish things to see how it all ends.

[Books] So, Anyway Audible Review

My love for Monty Python has directed me to start exploring the memoirs of the various Pythons (or at least those who have ventured into writing). This leads us to John Cleese's autobiography So, Anyway, which I hoped to be an interesting look into his peculiar brain and maybe glean more insights into how the every-hilarious Monty Python came to be.

Of course there is much more to John Cleese's life than his time on Monty Python and this book is one big reminder of that fact. I sort of expected this given other biographies I've read but I was still gambling on there being more than less.

And while this book wasn't quite as Python-focused as I wanted it to be, it still provided a lot of great insight into John Cleese as an individual and that in turn informs his later work.

[TV] Blackadder II Review

As a long time Monty Python fan, one of the shows that is frequently recommended as related is Blackadder, a quirky multi-generation comedy series set throughout British history. It wasn't until I noticed that some of the series were available on iflix that I finally made some time to start watching.

It's a little tricky trying to explain what the show is about given the different series are set across various time periods. Blackadder II is set during the Elizabethan era but still follows the same family as the first series, The Black Adder.

The show features quite the notable cast of comedic talents that are really big names now but may not have been quite as big then, as in during the time of the original airing of the series. The show has a pretty loose plot and feels more like a weird period sitcom more than anything else. Things aren't exactly accurate down to the last historical detail, but you don't need that level of precision for good comedy.

[Movies] Monty Python: The Meaning of Live (2014) Review

As an odd sort of companion to Monty Python's final live performance, Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go, the documentary Monty Python: The Meaning of Live was created to take a look at the behind-the-scenes of this production and try to capture what it was like for these men to come back together after so many years to bring back to life their old sketches from their television days.

I suppose this makes sense when you take a moment to think about it. Having the Pythons come back for a reunion performance was quite the historic moment and why wouldn't a documentary film crew want to cover that? And as the show was a blatant effort to raise funds to deal with legal expenses, companion material like this documentary just play into the whole shindig to push all the hype possible.

Capitalist cynicism aside, this was still a pretty fun piece and it just goes to show that there are so many fascinating facets to the Pythons that we'll probably never tire of efforts like these.

[Movies] Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go (2014) Review

The unusual circumstances that led to Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go seem oddly appopriately Pythonesque as they had to put up the show in order to pay for legal expenses resulting from a case about back royalty payments.

This show marked their first live performance in 34 years and was also the first time had performed without Graham Chapman, who had passed away in 1989. And while this doesn't necessarily bring in substantial new material, it's really more of a greatest hits sort of event drawing from Monty Python's diverse history.

This is not the most polished recording of a Monty Python live performance. But it's the rough bits around the edges that really make this performance so memorable. But we'll get into detail in the review proper below.

[Movies] Monty Python: Before the Flying Circus (2000) Review

Netflix has recently been blessed with the gift of a ridiculous amount of Monty Python content ranging from the classic episodes to many different documentaries about the franchise. And I've been indulging with watching from and have been happy to discover new things about a group of comedians that I have come to love visiously over the years.

Monty Python: Before the Flying Circus is a weird documentary that focuses on the lives of the Pythons before they became, well, Monty Python. And to stress this fact the entire documentary feature is presented in black and white, I guess for that old timey feel.

Given the time the documentary was made, naturally not all of the Pythons were available (read: alive) for the feature and could not contribute to the interviews. But they did a lot of good research and dug up a lot of archival material to really flesh this out.

[Games] Thunderbirds Review

I can't quite pinpoint how I originally got into the Thunderbirds as a franchise. The show came out before I was even born and yet local re-runs through syndication eventually helped me find this brilliant little show. And the more recent reboot of the series has certainly helped bring the franchise back into awareness for a new generation.

The Thunderbirds is a clever board game based on this franchise and one that was released to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original show as well. There's a lot about the game that is actually quite familiar but the way things come together helps increase the nostalgia feels of the game and how it does feel in tune with the original series.

I oddly love this game but it's hard to find people to play it who appreciate the franchise as much as I do. But beyond the Thunderbirds trappings that give the game its distinct feel, it's still pretty solid.

[TV] The End of the F***cking World: Season 1 Review

Netflix has become an interesting channel for legally gaining access to various British television shows. Sure we get the odd one here or there through a cross-licensing deal with other cable networks active in the region, but for the most part it's been very difficult to watcch British shows.

The End of the F***ing World is yet another example of a great British show that has managed to get worldwide recognition because Netflix has pushed it out to its global audience. And I'm forever thankful for that given it's just the sort of quirky weird show that I like. The story feels like it has a sort of Wes Anderson style vibe bit with more violence and less camera pans.

The trailers for this show had intrigued me but I was also a little worried that I wouldn't be able to truly get into it. But I'm super glad that I was wrong about this and the twists and turns of this relatively short show makes for great television indeed.

I want more.

[TV] The Crown: Season 2 Review

It's probably my fandom for Downton Abbey that helped get me hooked on Netflix's The Crown. Both are British period dramas that touch on nobility (to varying degrees) in rather intimate detail. But where Downton is a well-crafted story on its own, The Crown is somewhat more empowered by bits of truth here and there. And it's that promise of truth woven intot the fiction that adds an extra bit of thrill to things.

The first season focused on Queen Elizabeth's life before she ascended the throne and the early days of her rule. It had a lot of great moments and showed many facets of her life, which made for some great storytelling moments.

But it also depicted the tensions stemming from the significant difference in status between the Queen and her husband. This second season revisits that challenge and explores it further to a significant degree. And that comes with its own share of drama and intrigue.

[TV] The Crown: Season 1

I never expected to be the sort of guy who'd get into period dramas, but I have come to fully embrace this fact about myself now. I am proud to be a person who enjoys watching shows like Downton Abbey and I am totally happy that we took the time to watch The Crown. And yes, I'll probably get around to watching Victoria soon enough.

But back to The Crown, I had a good feeling that the show had promise based on the trailers and video clips going around social media. But I had no idea how much I'd enjoy this series given what could have been just another dry biographical drama.

Instead we have a fascinating journey into the Royal Family and the ascent of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne. That seems like a simple enough story, but in truth there's a lot of family drama before and after she becomes queen. There's also all the political stuff and dealing with her government, which is ruled in her name by the Prime Minister and all that jazz. It's all presented in a manner that is quite fascinating.

[TV] The Night Manager (Mini-Series)

There is something about British television that I really enjoy for one reason or another. One of the big points is always about how they work with shorter seasons that I feel leads to tighter writing along with other factors. Thus there are a lot of British shows that Tobie and I end up enjoying a lot because why not, right?

The Night Manager is a show that I didn't hear about initially but later on Tobie's network alerted him to the series. Beyond it featuring some well-known actors, it was also rather relevant fare for a project that Tobie is working on with several others. Thus it got bumped up from "interesting to watch" to "required viewing".

And man, this was a rather intense series indeed. I'm kind of glad that it's "only" a mini-series, although I can totally see how one might be able to extend this into something more long-term with additional stories. But they made some very smart choices in terms of how they put things together.

[TV] Broadchurch: Series 1

Netflix has been quite helpful in helping us get through more shows that we've been meaning to watch for sometime. You can't expect the latest seasons of your favorite shows to be there, but for older stuff that have always been on the backburner in our show queue but are happily in the Netflix database.

One such show is Broadchurch, that we wanted to watch as we're fans of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who but then this show or that show always took priority over this one. I regret that, since this is a pretty darn good show.

But of course a police procedural tends to move at a very different pace as compared to most other dramas. A British police procedural tends to have an even more gradual pace to things since shows from that part of the world as they don't see the need for the usual flash and flair of their US counterparts.

I'm not complaining. This means you get a show that focuses a lot more on the character relationships instead of silly plot twists and shaky camera work.

[TV] First Looks at Netflix's Black Mirror (Season Three)

It was a bit of surprise news that Netflix manged to win the broadcast rights for Black Mirror away from Channel 4 and it was only this past weekend that we finally got our first look at the new series. Given the show has always been structured as an anthology of different stories about technology in the near future, it's not like there's some major continuity to worry about. The only real concern I had was whether or not the tone of the storytelling would change given the shift. But the first trailer does show a lot of promise:


Black Mirror | Official Trailer - Season 3 [HD] | Netflix
With the new week they've also started to release teaser featurettes about some of the six stories promised in this season. These videos help me maintain hope that this show is going to be just as good as the prior seasons.


Black Mirror | Playtest Featurette [HD] | Netflix



Black Mirror | Nosedive Featurette [HD] | Netflix

Are you ready for October 21? 

[TV] Downton Abbey: Series 4

I consider the Christmas episode of every season of Downton Abbey to be considered the end of the season and not the beginning. And that seems fair enough given how many major plot twists tend to work their way into that last episode, sometimes erasing all the hard work that had taken place throughout the regular season.

The third season of Downton Abbey was a tragically good example of this phenomenon, and it certainly made getting into the fourth season more than a little difficult. But given the skilled writing talent behind the show, this series was largely a nice way to recover from the shock of the last series.

This is not to say that the series was not without its own share of shocking twists, tragedy and intrigue, but what else can be expected from the residents of Downton Abbey after all?

And this series does have quite a few remarkable, memorable moments - both good and bad.

[TV] The IT Crowd

One of our first full series viewed via our recent Netflix subscription is the full run of The IT Crowd, a British sitcom from Channel 4. At first I thought it would be something like The Big Bang Theory with a bit more of a British flavor, but thankfully it's not just that. It's something else entirely.

Normally I'd review each season of a show individually but British shows are often trickier since they tend to be a lot shorter. And it's not like this wa a show with a seriously complicated meta-plot or anything like that. If anything the show is amazing in embracing how episodic it is. And therein lies a lot of the show's brilliance.

[TV] Downton Abbey: Series 3

The second series of Downton Abbey certainly had more than its fair share of plot twists and turns that by the end off the season I was feeling a little bit drained. Was the true message of the story was that this family of minor nobility was actually somehow cursed? Is the show a weird statement on how the 1% also suffer terribly in life?

I exaggerate of course, but the mix of happiness and heartbreak in this show has really helped define what has made it so popular. This is like a pseudo high class telenovela or something - it has just about as many plot twists and character reveals after all so the similarity is there if you want to see it for yourself.

And as if the second season hadn't been traumatic enough, this third series of the show only continued to stir the pot and add to the drama of things. The end result may not always be to everyone's liking, but it'll always make sense somehow and one can only accept what cards are dealt to the family and those who help them live in Downton Abbey.

[TV] Downton Abbey: Series 2

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It's been quite a while since I had posted my review of the first season of Downton Abbey, and in an odd way it's because we enjoyed it so much. Give the series has such limited episodes, my partner Tobie and I tend to stretch things out a bit as we hope to make the most of our enjoyment of a show before the season, or worse the show, comes to an end. So there are those shows that we enjoy that we end up slow-watching to the point that we start to fall a few seasons behind in order to ensure we still have episodes "in the bank" so to speak.

Downton Abbey is one of those show for us, as if that wasn't obvious enough at this point in the review. We've only just gotten through season 3 of the show and it's only now that I'm trying to catch up with writing the reviews for these seasons.

By writing these reviews, I'm also reminded that we have the other seasons sitting on the shelf, waiting for us to return to Downton. And every time the experience is both glorious and heartbreaking and everything in-between.

[Books] Lady Penelope's Lifestyle Secrets

When we decided to drop by this year's Summer Komikon, we only had a single title in mind. I never would have imagined myself to end up going home with a book as ridiculously pink as this one. And really, this book is super pink and it's not like it's a small pocketbook-sized affair either.

But how could I say no to the one and only Lady Penelope? Sure, compared to modern entertainment standards she may look a little creepy, but that's ultimately sort of a marionette kind of thing. Within the context of the show, she's quite gorgeous and her beauty easily shines through.

So I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from a book that proclaimed to reveal her lifestyle secrets, but one thing led to another and I found myself holding a copy of this little book, Lady Penelope's Lifestyle Secrets. I'm enough of a Thunderbirds fan to appreciate the subject matter plus it was pretty clear that this was not the sort of book one would encounter all that often, especially in this part of the world.