Drama > 15 GBP to 20 GBP Drama > J

ROMAN AROUND OUR DVD COLLECTION….

Advantages: Excellent acting, compelling story, fascinating, great cast, wonderful script
Disadvantages: Very basic special effects (but the acting compensates!)

So, hubby and I had finished watching Between the Lines Series 1 and the next draw from our little tub of white slips of paper produced - I, Claudius. I wasn't thrilled. Hubby's choice had won out yet again and after the fast and exciting Between the Lines, I feared I, Claudius would be slow and dull. Still, I'd give it a try… I, CLAUDIUS - THE FACTS I, Claudius is a BBC TV series shown back in 1976 (I turned seven that year.) and was based on ...
...two episodes most evenings, but I found the first episode harder to get into and yes, a bit slow, so that took me two nights! THE STORY I, Claudius tells the history of Rome over a century or so, from the point of view of Claudius (Derek Jacobi) himself. His narration frames the episodes, with 'real-time action' forming most of each episode. We see home Rome fares under each Emperor, ending with young Nero. Although not historically accurate in ...

KarenUK 05.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of I Claudius (DVD)

Farewell My Codependent

Advantages: A non-white washed (not even the underwear) cloying gay love story.
Disadvantages: Loses itself in artistic visions and emotional trauma-o-drama-o-rama.

...into the sordid and tragic love life of a whiney drama queen with a paint brush and his severely mentally depressed and unstable and all around lousy lover who committed suicide. Grasping and flailing about like a drowning man it searches for some type of meaning. I am relevant, I am British, hear me roar! The basic story told is that George Dyer (Daniel Craig) falls through a skylight of Francis Bacon’s (Derek Jacobi) studio one night in a failed ...
...even the underwear) cloying gay love story. Points taken off for all the sordid cruel stuff without any hint or any clue why either of these characters would hang around abusing each other like this. I mean come on, there had to be some remote emotional involvements? Don't even get me started on being forced to watch some brief glimpses of pretty dang nasty @ss sex scenes. (Oh boy! Fat gay guys in not so tighty whiteys!) Oh well, another 'trying ...

Randomkill 10.02.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Love Is The Devil - Study For A Portrait Of Francis Bacon (DVD)

"There's Only One Maltese Falcon"

Advantages: Great acting, great dialogue
Disadvantages: May not be for those who prefer lots of action

...I wouldn't say I'm the world's greatest fan of Film Noir or even of Humphrey Bogart. I like them, but other genres are higher on my list. When I first watched this, although I had heard of Humphrey Bogart, I had no idea what he looked like. I hadn't seen terribly many black and white films either. One fine day, some years ago, my mom got Turner Classic Movies. I can't remember why I turned it over onto TCM or even if it just happened to be on when ...
...and when I got to the end, I realised I needed to see it from the beginning as it was that good. And when I watched it again from the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have since watched it several times. The Story Humphrey Bogart plays Sam Spade, a private detective in 1930’s San Francisco. One day a woman walks into his office asking him to take on her case. She says that her sister has got involved with a man and that she wants him ...

Rebeccs 14.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Maltese Falcon (DVD)

Sam's back!

Advantages: As good as series 1 if not better
Disadvantages: sad when it ended

...two episodes a night-I live life on the edge as you can tell!).Life On Mars:Series Two was released on dvd in April 2007, but if you are like me and have been living under a rock and not heard of this show, or simply watched it on BBC2 previously but want to watch it over and over (which no doubt I will be),then you can't do any worse than buying this and the first series. Series Two~ Series one is about Sam Tyler, a detective who after a near fatal ...
...Sam Tyler literally where the first series ended; still playing good cop/ bad cop with partner(in crime) Gene Hunt. All the usual gang are back but this time Annie plays a more prominent role having been promoted but still get's treated bad because she's a "bird". The sexual tension between Annie and Sam is more intense this series and has you screaming 'Kiss her' nearly every episode! The Plot~ With series one I liked the fact that most of the way ...

supersonic75 14.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Life On Mars - Series 2 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

What an American Beauty!

Advantages: FANTASTIC!
Disadvantages: NONE!

American Beauty is a masterpiece in cinematic artistry! The basic premise tells of Lester Burnham -Kevin Spacey, whose having a mid-life crisis. Everything on the outside is a perfect picture of domestic bliss! His wife, Carolyn- Annette Bening, is a hardworking albeit materialistic Real Estate Agent. As Lester narrates the film, he describes his marriage as non existent and how it's all for show. As he slips deeper and deeper into depression he ...
...his daughter then forms a strange friendship with the boy next door, Ricky. As Lester continues drooling over Angela, Carolyn 'entertains herself with a work colleague' and their lives seem to fall even further apart. There are several sub-plots in the film, so it almost becomes an ensemble piece, but all the stories' intertwine wonderfully. The film was directed by British born, Sam Mendes. This was his first cinematic direction, and what a debut ...

paulyvous 14.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)