Change Your Image
studioAT
Reviews
Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two: Episode #21.26 (2024)
Here for Amy news
I'm not a regular viewer of 'Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two', especially since Fleur East took over as co-host.
This episode however did feel like an essential one to watch in order to find out how things were with regards to Amy Dowden, who had been taken ill between the filming of the main and results show on Saturday. The BBC can claim it's filmed on the Sunday all they like, we all know by now.
Here's hoping that after a week off Amy can return to the ballroom that is her second home. Not that it's not nice to see Lauren step in to partner J. B this week, she was sadly overlooked for a partner in the first place.
J. B has more motivation to stay in the competition than ever before.
The Simpsons: I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can (2019)
I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can
"How can someone give this a ten out of ten?"
That's what another reviewer asked here. Well, I'm about to.
I thought this was an excellent episode, a throwback to a different era of 'The Simpsons' in the fact that it had charm and humour in spades, combined with a lovely sense of heart. Ok, it gets there via a very tired route (Homer and Marge's marriage being in trouble...again), but it's all written and play so well that you forgive the flaws.
I think people are so critical of the show these days that they are almost blinkered to spot when actually it's doing something well.
This episode in my view did an awful lot well.
The Simpsons: The Girl on the Bus (2019)
The Girl on the Bus
As others have said, this is an odd little episode of 'The Simpsons' from the thirtieth series.
It sets itself up to be a musical episode, then ditches that. Then it seems to go down the farce route, then ditches that.
Thankfully it stops itself from becoming a mess, and actually ends up with a nice heartfelt ending.
Personally though I just found all the gear changes a bit jarring. You set yourself up for one sort of episode, and then it keeps going in a different direction so you don't know what you're getting.
There were some nice moments along the way though, and I liked the Ned Flanders and Ralph jokes particularly.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 6: Results (2024)
Week 6: Results
As nice as Punam I'm sure was, in order for the series/progress to develop she needed to be knocked out.
It was a close run race though in the dance off, and personally I feel Shayne would have been out had he been up against anyone else and could have had no complaints.
Obviously the public root for their favourites no matter what, as shown by the fact that Chris was near the bottom of the leaderboard and yet got through. Seeing as he can't do the 'Strictly Tour' that follows in January, I do wonder whether the bosses would rather he hadn't.
Of course we watched this more concerned about poor Amy Dowden (MBE), who had been taken to hospital between the filming of the Saturday night show and the results show. Wishing her a speedy recovery.
A terrible musical guest too, by the way.
The Ladies Man (2000)
The Ladies Man
This is another fine example of a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch that should have remained one.
It was simply not strong enough to be stretched to a full length film in the same way that 'Wayne's World' had been to great effect, spawning a sequel and remaining a key cultural presence.
This is a one joke idea stretched to feature length, and even the quality in front of the camera (that stretches to Will Ferrell and Lee Evans of all people) can't rescue it from being a film that is anything more than being just 'ok'.
It's fine, it's not terrible, but it worked much better as a sketch than trying to expand it.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 6: Halloween Special (2024)
Week 6
Halloween in the ballroom, and this was by far the best week of the 2024 competition so far.
From the judges seemingly having more fun than usual, to the standard of performance being better - this was a memorable week indeed.
I liked Sam's routine, I thought the concept behind Tash's worked well. I could have done without them yet again relying on the Ghostbusters theme music and The Addam's Family as per Halloween Special usual, but hey ho.
This was a good week, but there's a whole pack (Shayne, J. B and maybe even Chris) who need to step up or could be stepping off of their Strictly journey.
Frasier: Cape Cod (2024)
Cape Cod
This was excellent.
Perhaps the best episode of the 'Frasier' reboot so far in my opinion.
Playing out like one of those good old-fashioned farces that the original show was so fond of and indeed so good at doing, this was an absolute joy.
Good to have Roz back and being used more efficiently, good to have some progression on the Eve/Freddy dynamic. Even David gets a bit more to do.
Fast moving and with some very funny moments indeed, this is and the last episode show a vast improvement in quality and make a clear statement that this show is coming into its own a lot more.
The bit with Alan at the start was great too.
Shifting Gears (2024)
Shifting Gears
Tyler Hynes is the best leading man that Hallmark have on their books hands down.
With his droll sarcastic humour, he has the ability to make even the cheesiest line or the most wooden leading lady look good.
He can also elevate thinner material into looking better than it actually is, and that's a skill he has to utilise here, as 'Shifting Gears' relies heavily on him to drag it through.
It's not a film that deviates too far from the standard Hallmark format, and while that's comfortable, it needed perhaps another extra element to elevate it a little more from being just 'ok'.
Was the car show broadcasting live or was it being pre-recorded? The film never seems to know either.
Overall, Hynes manages to make the most of a lesser project.
The Simpsons: Daddicus Finch (2018)
Daddicus Finch
People need to let it go. If you compare every episode of 'The Simpsons' that has been made since the golden era (for me roughly Series 4-11) then you are going to be disappointed, there's no doubt about it.
Constantly moaning about the show in its current form will do nobody any good.
This was a fine episode, it had lots of nice moments. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions (I'm a sucker for any joke involving Ralph) and plots involving Lisa and Homer always has a nice heart to it.
So overall, I liked this episode. It might not be a popular opinion, but I did. It was one of the 'better ones'.
Clarence: Episode #1.2 (1988)
Thin premise doesn't offer much
By episode two of this short-lived Ronnie Barker comedy you realise that Barker's retirement was not the only reason this didn't return.
It is essentially a one joke idea (Clarence has bad vision) stretched to a 30 minute sitcom. Now times that by six and you start to fathom that they really were going to be stretched to make this work.
Clarence is sweet enough, but he's certainly not as memorable a character as Fletch or Arkwright. Some of Barker's government speakers in 'Two Ronnies' sketches had more depth.
This is fine as a one off view, but when you see episode after episode you realise that this was very thin stuff indeed, and probably only got made due to having Barker's name attached.
The Simpsons: Krusty the Clown (2018)
Krusty the Clown
'The Simpsons' writers are known to be a sensitive bunch, and they seem to use a lot of the Homer storyline here to bemoan critical reactions to episodes. There's even a joke here where the punch line is that Krusty's show hasn't been good since Season Four. I wonder where the inspiration for that one came from...
It's all good fun, but after a while it does feel like they are whacking you over the head with the point.
This is, as others have said, an episode that starts well and then fades quite quickly. It should have been better than it was, especially with the characters it had (Bart, Krusty, Homer) at the centre.
The Simpsons: Werking Mom (2018)
Werking Mom
Well I liked this episode, I'm sorry that others did not.
I thought that while yes, this episode did fall back on the schmuck bait 'Marge and Homer split' plotline, it did have some very funny moments and a nice sense of heart to it also.
I wasn't overly keen on the Lisa plot, it felt like they had two storylines competing for time and that this one lost out a little.
Overall though, perfectly fine. If you judge episodes like this against ones from thirty years ago you will only end up being disappointed. Embrace where the show is now and see that it still manages to pull off some very smart moments.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 5: Results (2024)
Week 5: Results
I said in my review of the main show on the Saturday night that the chaff had to start being separated from the wheat, but even then I think Paul could have lasted another week. He certainly brought more to proceedings than the Punan.
Alas though he went, but surely the alarm bells must be ringing now for J. B that this Strictly lark isn't going to be as easy as perhaps he thought. As it stands currently I wouldn't be putting him in the final four.
Good to see Sophie Ellis Bextor sing (albeit a song that sounds much like her other ones) too. An example of someone who may not have loved her Strictly experience, but still pops up to say hello.
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Inside Out 2
There aren't many films that you think "yes, that needs a sequel", but 'Inside Out' is one that you do, because quite naturally we are following the life of Riley as she now moves into her teenage years. It doesn't feel as forced a sequel as something like 'Finding Dory'.
Visually stunning and with a good sense of heart and humour - this is Pixar going back to an old story and doing all the things that we've come to expect from their best films.
It of course doesn't feel as original an idea as it did the first time around, that was always going to be the case, but this film does show a bit of a return to form from Pixar.
I'd be open to a third film as well.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 5 (2024)
Week 5
Week 5 in the Strictly ballroom, and the fact the leader board shows a 20 point gap between the top and bottom couple indicates that there is a fair bit of chaff that needs to be separated from the wheat as the series continues.
It's quite clear to see who the top and bottom people are, but there are also quite a few caught in the middle, and some of those you feel are underperforming from where you'd think they should be. Am I as confident that J. B is going to bring the trophy home for Amy now as I was a few weeks ago? No.
It will be interesting to see if the voting public go for short-term enjoyment (aka keeping people like Paul in) or see the bigger picture.
Will they keep Wynne in after his 'silly joke' seemed to blow up in his fact this week? Time will tell.
Frasier: The Squash Courtship of Freddy's Father (2024)
The Squash Courtship of Freddy's Father
Even someone with the most deep set cynicism about the 'Frasier' reboot I think would struggle to not have a good time with this episode.
Bebe is back, and more meddlesome and conniving than ever before. It's an absolute joy to have Harriet Samson Harris back as the character, and she seems to be relishing having the opportunity to play the role at an older age, where she gives even less of a damn about what she says and does.
I thought nearly everything about this episode worked, from the main plot, to the twists within it.
I also liked the dynamic between Alan and Olivia too.
Poor old David is left saying so say 'quotes' from Niles rather than them developing his own sense of self, but on the whole this was great stuff.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 4: Results (2024)
Week 4: Results
As harsh as it sounds, I think Nick Knowles was going to be out of the contest regardless of whether he was fit enough to dance or not.
The competition has moved on, and with people like Paul Merson on the up, Knowles had sadly fallen through no fault of his own, behind the pack. Once you realised his number had originally been choreographed by Craig you knew he was doomed.
This Results Show featured a good pro dance (probably because it wasn't choreographed by Jason Gilkerson) and offered a remind as to why Snow Patrol have only got one song that people know the words to.
I think this Results Show format has grown irrelevant now, but it's part of the weekly 'Strictly' package so we grin and bear it.
Frasier: The Dedication (2024)
The Dedication
There was a bit of false information about this episode circulating prior it dropping on Paramount+. People were making out that it was a deeply serious episode, almost drama than sitcom.
This is rubbish and couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, it does centre on the topic of grief, but it ends up being a very funny episode, one that I'd rank as one of the best of the new 'Frasier', so far.
The Frasier and Alan plotline in particular is excellent, and without sounding like a stuck record, Nicholas Lyndhurst is brilliant in this show and his chemistry with Kelsey Grammer is fab. The scene in the doctors office with the punch bag was a masterpiece.
The plot with Jess and Freddy (and poor David, who the writers seem to have given up on, reducing him to a cameo role almost) wasn't as good. I wish they'd turn that into more of a Daphne/Niles will they/won't they to give it a bit more depth.
Overall, only cynics would pan this episode.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 4 (2024)
Week 4
The judges seem to have gotten together this week and decided to knock the leading lights down a peg or two, with only Tash and Chris getting away unscathed. One more than the other, as the final leader board shows.
There were some nice routines here. Wynne's was my favourite of the night, though it's fun to see the chemistry between Pete and his partner too.
Some routines were disappointments. J. B's Rumba wasn't great, and Sam Queck should have been better than she was. Her "I'm going for it and will try to be sexy" comments needed backing up with proof.
It's no great surprise to see that Paul Merson is better in ballroom than Latin either. Still, it might mean he keeps Karen in for a bit longer.
A good show overall. Can Claud and Tess not do the stairs at the start of the show any longer? Odd.
The Simpsons: From Russia Without Love (2018)
From Russia Without Love
This is a bit of a mean spirited episode from start to finish. I laughed along in all the right places, but couldn't shake that feeling.
It starts well, as most modern Simpsons episodes tend to, but then again, like most modern Simpsons episodes it tails off.
The twist at the end, while expected, isn't very nice, and the show doesn't really seem to know where to go after that, so we end up with an odd bit with Nelson instead.
My reviews of more recent episodes all tend to read the same - it's a premise with potential that ultimately gets delivered in an unsatisfactory way, and that's a shame.
Strictly Come Dancing: Week 3 Results (2024)
Week 3 Results
Toyah realised an important lesson - don't make out you can't wait to leave.
This was the vibe she's given off pretty much from the get go, when actually she had the potential to be better than she actually ended up showing. Perhaps it was the negative reaction to her first routine that made her lose the love of it, but the constant "I'll be on a beach come Tuesday" got fast - quickly.
This wasn't a good results show in general. The pro dancer number was dire (Neil Jones seems to think he's beloved by the audience at home, which doesn't help) and there's not really much of the programme that's actually essential.
Why the BBC persist with it I don't know.
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away (2024)
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away
Channel 5 did 50% of a good job here - they sent the disgraced Phillip Schofield far, far away to an Island.
Unfortunately they bodged the other 50% and let him come back.
While the format here is nothing new, the participant normally comes away with some sort of clarity, or if disgraced, a sense of remorse.
This though is Phillip Schofield. The shouty man from 'Dancing on Ice', the queue cutter extraordinaire.
No blame for his actions is taken, it's all the fault of somebody else, he's the wronged party. If someone at work or down the pub seemed to be so blind to the ramifications of their actions you'd walk away.
The TV equivalent is to turn it off. So I did.
Neighbours: Episode #1.9118 (2024)
Farewell, Toadie
It's farewell to Ryan Moloney as Toadie here, and if the actor feels a bit hard done by for the way his character was treated (and he himself, depending on which reports you read) since the show returned for the Amazon era, I don't think you could blame him.
It's either been an exploration of mental illness (very good and important if it was, but it should have continued further than it has been) or a character assassination, as the once happy go lucky chap has been stripped away week by week.
This final appearance of the character (though it's undone by the fact that already we hear rumours of a 'pop back' soon) is a good one though, and he gets a nice moment with everyone.
Toadie though was a bit of a victim of the revival.
Neighbours: Episode #1.9119 (2024)
I know that gun man!
Hang on, so this is the same actor who played the gunman who killed Kate Ramsay?!
There's questions there that surely need answering!
It's another hostage situation for 'Neighbours', a fact that the cast even seem to make fun of in backstage interviews.
If I had any slight niggle about the Amazon era of the show (apart from those very slow first weeks and the dreadful 'poo gate' storyline) it's that something big seems to happen every week. There's a hostage situation, there's a car crash etc.
'Neighbours' actually can do smaller storytelling very well, and we can have plots that build over weeks and weeks. Fans will stick with slower weeks, we don't need to go big every time.
On the whole though, good stuff.
Come Rain Come Shine (2010)
Come Rain Come Shine
Sir David Jason appearing in ITV comedy dramas like this used to be a very common occurrence in the 2000's and 2010's. In fact, ITV making this sort of comedy drama was common in the 2000's and 2010's. How times sadly have changed on both counts.
This is trying to do an awful lot of things. It's supposed to be commenting on the credit crunch, it's got a bit of 'A Christmas Carol' in there. It feels like a pilot of a TV series that never followed.
Sir David (unlike Ghostboat) is here surrounded by a good supporting cast, and actually it's he whole feels out of place, relying on a lot of the old Del Boy mannerisms that served him so well elsehwhere.
It has a lot to say, but ultimately doesn't say as much as it could.
Fun fact - we do see Sir David acting opposite Kellie Bright, who would go on to play Del's Mum in 'Rock and Chips'. Put the pieces together there, 'Only Fools' fans...