cmtaylor-10993 Reviews

The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour: Eurocrash (2022) Season 5, Episode 2

All the ingredients

[9/10 · 18 June 2023]

A great episode that balanced all the ingredients we love from Top Gear / The Grand Tour.

This was a simple road trip, the only gimmick were the contrasting cars they each chose.

After a laboured start with an over the top, trying to be funny introduction where we are supposed to believe the trio have manicured female hands, the episode truly gets underway once they get into port.

This is a classic road trip through several beautiful Eastern European countries. Thankfully there's no unnecessary backstory (such as treasure hunting, solving food shortages), it's not even a race, this is a pure A-B journey that we fell in love with back in the Top Gear Years.

There's the usual breakdown, interesting challenges, sabotage, tourism and genuine laughs.

I'm fully aware that the show has to be scripted, but much of this episode didn't feel feel forced or overly staged like some of the more recent specials. There was no Richard Hammond supposedly riding down the hill in a small hut, there were no caravans tipping themselves over or cars flying off the cliff with a presenter driving. Everything seemed grounded. Yes, James May uses his small Crossly as an ambulance at the circuit, but this is actually funny and takes up a fraction of the episode.

This episode is humorous and informative in equal measure. I hope the team can maintain this momentum going forward over the 'rumoured' final episodes.

Better Call Saul: Nippy (2022) Season 6, Episode 10

A nice change of pace

[8/10 · 26 July 2022]

I've been looking forward to catching up with Gene, especially as it seems such a long time since we last saw him and here we get a full episode with Gene as the main focus.

Last time we touched base with Gene, his true identity had been rumbled by a cab driver from Albercurcy and here we find out how Gene faces up to the problem head on.

It's a decent episode that continues the slow pace from the previous one and brings a decent conclusion to part of Gene's story. I do hope it isn't the last we see of Gene though, as his world is still without colour and there's no sign of a reunion with Kim. I'm hoping we catch up with him again in the final episode.

I agree that the placing of this episode seems bizarre, but it wouldn't have worked as a first episode and similarly it's not suitable for a finale. I guess it clears the way for 3 fantastic final episodes of Better Call Saul that will allow the story to focus on Saul Goodman fully being part of the Breaking Bad timeline and beyond.

I cannot wait!

Top Gear: The Legacy Begins (2002) Season 1, Episode 1

The beginning

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

It's really interesting rewatching this for the first time in 20 years. I remember watching this as a 14 year old when first broadcast and instantly liked the new format.

Some of the long standing features such as the test track, the original Stig, the studio and a star in a reasonably priced car are all introduced here, and as a kid this new format was so refreshing.

Firstly it was great having Clarkson back on TopGear, and his no nonsense opinions are present from day one.

Whilst there's signs of what's to come later on in the series, it still feels very much like a BBC consumer show. Jason Dawes is the third presenter here, and his role is basically to talk about the 2nd hand car market. How things were to change..... I wonder how he now feels having left the show after the first series?

Richard Hammond makes a good start. His usual segment in these early episodes was covering a stunt or a scientific experiment. Here he's trying to beat a speed camera. His video narrations were often quite series in the early years and it took him a while to find his forte.

It's funny seeing Clarkson doing a sensible review of a Citroen Belingo, considering he drove one recently on The Grand Tour special.

Some of the studio segments are a bit awkward, Clarkson isn't 100% comfortable and in his natural flow yet. Another thing worth mentioning is the small size of the studio audience and the brightness of the studio. I wonder if these bits were filmed as a pilot?

They're also wanting Grandma's to write in to perform donuts. They did a lot of these type segments in the early days and looking back they were quite lame in comparison to the features in later years.

Well worth revisiting this historic episode.

Inferno (I) (2016)

Not as strong as the first 2 films

[7/10 · 13 June 2022]

Don't get me wrong, i thoroughly enjoyed this film when I saw it upon release, but after watching it straight after the first 2 movies, in quick succession, it pales in comparison. I have never read any of the books so can't comment on how true this film is to the original source material, but it is easily the weakest story in the movie trilogy.

The previous 2 films were intriguing history lessons that gave us a glimpse into potential 'secrets' of the church. Aside from the title of Inferno referring to hell, there is no major religious aspect to this movie. Another great thing about the original movies where the puzzles and clues. There's not as many here and the few that are included aren't great. Like Angels and Demons, there is a 'time limit' to save the day yet it feels like there isn't any urgency within this movie and the pacing is often off with too many flash backs 'inter-weaved' with the main narrative. Angels and Demons was a none stop roller coaster from the start, whilst Inferno takes a good 30 minutes to get going, with the majority of the early themes set in a studio based hospital and apartment. (Where are the glorious locations?) .There's some interesting twists throughout with a sprinkling of intrigue, but the story and script aren't as tight as the predecessor's.

The cast list for Inferno, as with the previous two movies is incredibly strong, we have the late Irrfan Khan and late Paul Ritter working for an organisation I still don't really understand and even a pre-Lupin Omar Sy giving chase as the leader of the a WHO branch. Felcity Jones has a good turn as Robert's female partner in this movie and Hanks is as usual in fine form.

I love the European culture we explore we explore in the first 2 movies, however the location work here isn't as grand as before and I think some of the locations such as Venice were underused. Perhaps the fact that this film had less than half the budget of Angels and Demons had something to do with this?

As before Hans Zimmer is in charge of the soundtrack, but it has nothing in common with the beautiful orchestral work he did previously. The score here is lacking in comparison, which is an incredible shame.

Inferno on it's own is an enjoyable thriller, but it the story and production lacks massively in comparison to the earlier movies. I'd be more than happy to see Hanks and Howard do another film in the series (Origin) but doubt we ever will. Shame.

Last of the Summer Wine: Full Steam Behind (1979) Season 5, Episode 1

Full Steam Ahead

[9/10 · 1 June 2022]

This is arguably one of the best episodes in the series long history. Brian Wilde is on his finest form. I just love Foggy's enthusiasm and excitement when he gets behind the controls of the train.

Compo also provides the usual laughs. It's always great seeing him wind up foggy and getting into mischief.

There's so many funny moments throughout the episode. Much of the episode is shot on location and we see some great banter between the trio. The characters are well and truly formed and their friendship is very believable.

There's also a bit a peril in the form of a runaway train. You can just imagine the trouble our trio would have been in with the local police and train owners after the episode.

Interestingly and unusually for Last of the Summer Wine, this episode focuses purely on our main trio. None of the regular supporting cast make any appearances and there are no other characters with speaking parts. For me, this is what the show should always have been about, with supporting characters only appearing when required. I wish Clarke and future producer Alan Bell has used this episode as inspiration when working on the later series, as the story telling became extremely diluted with too many characters to squeeze in.

Not Going Out: Painting (2022) Season 12, Episode 1

Reasonable Start

[6/10 · 27 March 2022]

A reasonable start to the new series and it's great that Bobby Ball and his character Frank's death have been recognised in a way that he still feels part of the show.

The plot is decent enough and there are some good one liners but nothing as good as the show used to be famous for. I found this episode to be very predictable and is it me or have they turned up the volume on the live studio audience who seem to cheer at absolutely everything?

The downfall of this episode is that the dialogue doesn't flow naturally and it all feels fairly amateurish. I know Not Going Out has never been the most realistic of sitcoms, but with the show confined to one set (not usually a problem) and a loud audience, I may as well have been watching it at my local theatre.

Wendy and Geoffrey also appear to be acting out of character which devalues the episode. I mean, would they really have a nude self portrait of themselves hung in their house, and who in their right mind would gift is to their daughter and son in law?

Fingers crossed for a stronger episode next outing.

Last of the Summer Wine: How Not to Cry at Weddings (2010) Season 31, Episode 6

Strong end to series but not the show

[8/10 · 27 March 2022]

So here it is the last episode of Last of The Summer Wine. 'How Not to Cry at Weddings' was never intended to be the last episode of the show so it does fall short of a deserved grand finale, but that said, it is a decent end to series 31.

Series 31 has been generally great. Russ Abbott has really settled into the role and the show has finally had some much needed focus. It was also the first series where we've had a continuing story arc (involving Howard and Pearl) which has been nice.

Fortunately Pearl allows Howard to move back in after a great sentimental scene between them where they reflect on their marriage. Roy Clarke was great at these scenes. Shame we never had more over them, especially with all of the cast members they lost over the years.

This episode focusing on the main characters getting together for a wedding. This is the first time in a long while that the majority of the cast have been together and it works rather well. We don't know the bride but that doesn't matter.

There's some great laughs including Tom forcing Auntie Wrainwright to make an effort with her outfit and Pearl covering Marina's face during a group photograph.

David Ross (Elgin from the Green Green Grass) plays a bumbling bus driver which is a nice turn.

It's a shame that Ivy and Nelly don't feature in this episode. I'm sure they would have done if the team had known the BBC would give the show the axe. It had to end sometime, but it's such a shame it didn't get a special final episode.

Thankfully, Clegg, the only character to appear in every episode, got the last line which is rather fitting.

Last of the Summer Wine: I Was a Hitman for Primrose Dairies (2008) Season 30, Episode 0

A new direction

[8/10 · 7 February 2022]

The opening episode marks a refreshing change in direction for the long running series. Russ Abbot joins the show as Hobbo the new 'third man' teaming up with Alvin and Entwhistle to form a new trio.

Since we lost Compo, the show effectively lost it's direction and never found a suitable leading man/character. Peter Sallis has always been a mainstay, but the character of Clegg isn't really fit to lead a sitcom. Furthermore, as cast members died, the large ensemble cast of characters became segregated often featuring in short scenes that didn't little to add to the plot of the episode.

The show often experimented with different characters but never had a proper trio, and this episode is the first step in rectifying that.

It is revealed that Hobbo lives on the other side of Norman Clegg and was the former milkman in town. He fits into the LOTSW world well. I'm not overly keen on him believing he was a secret agent and feel this was an unnecessary move on Roy Clarkes part. Also why do the producers insist on so many cast members wearing wigs? That said, Russ Abbot is great. He dominates every scene he's in providing some laughs usually at his expense. He's sort of a hybrid Foggy and Seymour.

Other changes include making Christopher Beeny's 'repo man' (or Morton as he's now known) and Trevor Bannister's 'golf captain' series regulars. The Captain even moves in next door to Barry and Glenda which gives also them more to do. Morton, alongside knowing Barry, will also provide another link to Tom giving him another purpose.

The other change is that due to Peter Sallis and Frank Thornton's respective ages, they could only film studio based scenes and as a result they a fully relegated to supporting characters and are stuck in Clegg's front room with only each other for company. Fingers crossed they have the opportunity to interact with other characters over the course of the series.

The big negative is that due to Kathy Staff's ill health during when this series was filmed Nora Batty has emigrated once again to Australia to look after an older sister which I can't really imagine Nora wanting to do. Meanwhile, her other sister, Stella, is house sitting providing Alvin with a new neighbour. Not sure about Stella yet, she seems another unnecessary character. I guess they wanted to leave the door open for Nora's return before Kathy Staff passed away after production was completed.

I'm looking forward to seeing Hobbo grow and wish these changes had been implemented a good 4 years or more prior.

Last of the Summer Wine: All That Glitters Is Not Elvis (2008) Season 29, Episode 5

Another Guest Star Episode

[7/10 · 27 January 2022]

Yet another episode with a story focused on guest stars. It seems at this point Roy Clarke had run out of ideas for the main cast.

The story largely focuses on Kenneth Cope and Maggie Ollerenshaw's returning characters. The story takes a while to set up, but eventually we have some great confusion leading to Howard dressing up as Elvis. This leads to some good laughs with the 2 bumbling policemen getting caught up in the action too.

Nora Batty, Pearl and Nelly get very little screen time. Ivy and Tom don't even make an appearance. Cleggy and Truly continue to be secondary characters.

Last of the Summer Wine: Enter the Finger (2008) Season 29, Episode 1

Not the strongest opening episode

[6/10 · 26 January 2022]

Great to see Brian Conley as the special guest star, but as usual with guest characters, his part is very underwritten.

It's quite a silly episode which doesn't really go any where and disappointingly there's no mention of Smiler, which is a shame considering he was a part of the show for the best part of 2 decades.

Howard and Pearl provide some good laughs.

Last of the Summer Wine: Will the Genuine Racer Please Stand Up? (2008) Season 29, Episode 2

Really enjoyable

[8/10 · 26 January 2022]

This is the best episode in a long while. It's great seeing Auntie Wainwright getting some good screen time away from the shop. Howard's plan to disguise himself in Tom's race suit provides some great laughs and some hilarious cases of mistaken identity.

Highly recommended.

Last of the Summer Wine: What Happened to the Horse? (2007) Season 28, Episode 2

Frustrating

[6/10 · 14 January 2022]

A plot with potential but very slow paced, even for the gentle nature of LOTSW.

Alvin and Trully invent a ghost story in the hope of playing a prank on Howard and Marina. Cleggy spends most of the episode fixated on the well -being of the made up ghost's horse. It's not the first time we've seen Clegg fixate on some so unfunny. He might as well have not been involved.

This episode is notable for Tom's absence. I wish Roy Clarke and Alan Bell had taken a leaf out of John Sullivan's book and done this more often, only using the supporting characters when the plot required. Post 2000 LOTSW often lost focus due to the large cast and writer going through the motion of featuring them all in each episode.

Last of the Summer Wine: The Second Stag Night of Doggy Wilkinson (2007) Season 28, Episode 1

Good opening episode

[7/10 · 14 January 2022]

A nice start to the series. We've seen similar stories before but this time we have the great Eric Sykes playing the groom to be.

As always it's nice to see the wider cast interacting with each other and always enjoyable waiting to see how Pearl will end up catch Howard with Marina.

Nellie seems well established now as does Mrs Davenport. Still waiting for Entwhistle to get some character growth. He often seems like such a spare part and again there is no mention of Billy's whereabouts, not that the plot really misssed him.

Last of the Summer Wine: Follow That Bottle (2006) Season 27, Episode 1

Decent opening episode

[7/10 · 13 January 2022]

A decent episode with some actual intrigue. For the most part of the episode, we the viewers are left wondering about the origins of the message in the bottle and who is the man looking for Norman Clegg?

This episode marks a welcome return for June Whitfield, this time playing a new character Nellie. It appears that Nellie is a effectively direct replacement for Roz and already she seems to be a more rounded character, often talking about her husband Travis who we never see. Unfortunately there's no mention of Roz, so we don't know whether she's moved on or passed away. I can't say Roz will be missed though as she contributed very little to the show unfortunately.

Is also nice to see some great onscreen chemistry between Alvin and Billy. Both characters are beginning to work very well with each other.

Last of the Summer Wine: Who's That Talking to Lenny? (2006) Season 27, Episode 7

Dull

[5/10 · 13 January 2022]

Being a fan of the late Bobby Ball it pains me to say that this episode is a dull outing which does little to provide any decent laughs.

Ball's character of Lenny, in his second appearance, continues to be fairly irritating. There's a nice cameo from Tommy Cannon again but apart from that, this episode is fairly unmemorable.

The episodes where the main cast meet a guest star can really be hit and miss. Shame.

Last of the Summer Wine: A Tale of Two Sweaters (2006) Season 27, Episode 10

Surprisingly nice change of pace

[7/10 · 12 January 2022]

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode as it's fairly unique for that fact that it features none of the usual countryside scenes. The episode is largely studio based with a few location shots from within the centre of Holmfirth.

The storyline focuses on the various characters each having their own Christmas get togethers and we even get to see the inside Alvin's house, which marks the first time we've been inside since the property Compo lived there. You'll be pleased to know it's had a great makeover.

This is also the first episode after Keith Clifford left the series. It's a shame really because I was finally beginning to like him. Billy and Alvin had the potential to be a great double act within the show. Frustratingly his character Billy Hardcastle isn't even mentioned but to be honest he wasn't the strongest character in the show's history and would have made little impact on this episode.

Speaking of other characters. I think at this stage Barry and Glenda should have been down graded to semi regulars. As usual they add little to the main narrative. Same with Entwhistle, who still isn't getting used to his full potential.

Auntie Wainwright provides some good laughs, but it's a shame her, Tom and Smiler are always segregated from the larger ensemble. Surely Howard would consider seeing his Auntie over Christmas?

All in all a nice little episode with a different flavour.

Ghosts: He Came! (2021) Season 3, Episode 7

Nothing Special

[5/10 · 28 December 2021]

I've thoroughly enjoyed Ghosts since stumbling across series 1, but I must say this episode was fairly bland.

It was great to get a bit of insight into Lady Button's past, but aside from that the episode wasn't all that great.

It had the cliche feel good Christmas message about helping others but ultimately it lacked comedy.

The acting was on top form as always, but I hope there's some strong stories to tell in series 4 in 2022.

Not Going Out: Panto (2021) Season 11, Episode 6

Really poor

[3/10 · 28 December 2021]

Another really disappointing entry in Lee Mack's long running sitcom.

Dream sequences are nothing new to the series and in this episode Lee dreams he's part of a Cinderella pantomime with the other cast members playing the other roles.

An interesting concept but poorly executed with poor topical jokes that are a far cry from the days of witty one liners we were used to a decade ago.

There's also a supporting role for Jason Donavan as Prince Charming, but in reality it could have been any other actor playing the role.

A minor annoyance for me was that Lee breaks the 4th wall and regularly interacted with the audience (like a real panto), it felt really out of place for a studio sitcom, and made it feel like one if his stand up shows.

The only positive was the nice mention of Lee's Dad played by the late Bobby Ball. Hopefully he'll get a proper send off in a later episode.

I hope the next series improves on this episode. The bar has been set low, but the show has rapidly declined since series 7 for me, with more duds than great episodes.

The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: Carnage A Trois (2021) Season 4, Episode 4

Another terrible disappointment

[4/10 · 18 December 2021]

It's like they are trying too hard to be funny. It's great seeing the cars getting put through challenges, but this is just skit after skit. It's not really a special. It would have made a semi decent 30 minute segment of one of the regular episodes. I wished they'd be themselves rather than playing fools.

The roundabout scene was cringe. I've never experienced anything like that in France. Oh and then there's the French style 'car review', which is absolutely pointless, which I guess is the point, but it's poor for The Grand Tour.

Driving to the top of the peak could have been a fun challenge, but instead they are purposely driving into obstacles and each other. What a waste of time.

Oh and the French accents are irritating. Again they've been too self indulgent with the humour.

The whole episode was effectively collection of pointless skits. Nothing Grand about it. Most of it we've seen done better before.

First time I've wanted to switch off an episode. Time for an extended hiatus I think.

No Time to Die (2021)

Different yet very Bond

[8/10 · 4 October 2021]

I get it. This film is bound to polarize many fans and I think I need to revisit it a few more times to fairly judge it's credentials when placed alongside some of the other entries in the Bond franchise.

First and foremost this movie is far better than some of the one star reviews lead you to believe and secondly, the Craig era Bond films have continued to push boundaries and have strayed away from the traditional Bond formula and this film is no exception.

I've broken down my views below,

Strengths

The pre-title sequence, especially the present day segment is simply fantastic and up there with some of the best pre-title sequences in the franchises history.

Daniel Craig actually has a decent car chase. We've waited decades for this.

It's a Bond film that features two main villains (sort of). It was great seeing Christopher Waltz back as Blofeld, his portrayal has really grown on me.

Jeffrey Wright as Felix Lieter is also back, shame he didn't have more screen time.

There a loads of nods to previous entries, including the cars, a fantastic villains lair and a fantastic music score. There's even scientist being played for laughs, a bit like Boris from Goldeneye.

Speaking of Goldeneye, there's some fantastic action throughout this film with a shootout at Blofeld's birthday party and during the grand finale. Craig's Bond has probably killed more enemies here than in all his other films combined.

It is also refreshing to see humour back in the script. The film can be fairly camp in places, a throwback to Moore and Connery. Craig proves that his bond can provide some laughs, making him more likable.

The new 007 is also pleasant surprise and actually provides the setup to many of the jokes. The female agent that also helps Bond during the birthday party shootout is also a fantastic addition.

Q is also fantastic in this movie, as are most of the MI6 cast members.

Weaknesses Saffin is a really boring villain. His appearance in the beginning of the movie is really sinister, but we sort of forget about him until the final third of the film, where he mumbles his way through his scenes. I think I'd have preferred more Blofeld.

It's a shame that Felix 'departed' so soon. It's the first time we've seen some great chemistry between Bond and Felix since the 80s so it would have been nice if Felix could have been along for the ride some more.

Unsure Having a young child along for the ride completely changed the dynamic of the movie and I'm still not to sure how I feel about it as it's not something a Bond film has ever done. As a father of young children, it did add an extra dimension of tension and emotion but it began feeling like another franchise at this point. The pacing began to drag for me at this point too. I don't mind Bond becoming a father I guess, but it's certainly not something I was expecting.

I have to mention the ending. It does make sense in the concept of the overall story arc, especially as Craig's Bond has always been self contained, whereas the other previous Bonds were all effectively on the same timeline. I enjoyed the roller coaster of emotion during the final 'showdown' and thought it was very Fleming how if he did escape the island, he'd be unable to be with his 'family'. That said, Bond is a hero that is good at everything, from driving, gambling, shooting and fighting. He always finds away through. Bond is a survivor. It was bizarre how he gave up so easily, surely if he'd have left the island, he'd have had more 'TIME' to find a cure for removing the nanobots. It was actually quite a downer.

Time will ultimately tell how this film holds up in the future. Remember how everyone hated OHMSS. I think this was easily Craig's best performance as Bond and if I cast the poor villain/questionable ending aside, I felt this was a throwback more 'over the top' Bond films I enjoy.

Craig's Bond has always done things differently. Should we have expected anything else this time round?

The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: Lochdown (2021) Season 4, Episode 3

A Terrible Disappointment

[6/10 · 1 August 2021]

I love the Grand Tour but this 'special' completely missed the mark.

The fact that the ongoing COVID situation restricted the team from going abroad wasn't the problem. Scotland is a fabulous county as was the concept of driving classic US cars on UK roads from A to B. The episode had a classic Top Gear challenge feel about it with many laughs along the way, but the episode seemed to lose its mojo half way through.

The American cars chosen by Clarkson, Hammond and May are abandoned for some pointless soviet vs US grass track racing and then the trio drive their ideal muscle cars. There's a bit of history regarding US cars using stock footage here but at this point I was bored.

Eventually they return to the original cars to end the adventure and thankfully the episode picks up again with some hilarious antics crossing a stretch of water using a floating road 'built' by the trio.

Some of the humour and pointless skits miss the mark again. There's the unnecessary sabotage and customisation of the cars, there's the pointless aspect of them sleeping in a castle overnight. The breakfast scene with Jame May's cooking adds nothing to the story and then there's the idea of them joining a hunt party organised by chap called Tramp. Oh, but by far the worst skit is the ending, where of instead of finding themselves in a US commune they are actually in one where everything is Chinese. An utter rubbish end of the show as it provides no conclusion to the journey or even what car was the best. The humour seems to get more self indulgent with each passing year.

There are some funny bits, getting stuck in Edinburgh generates some laughs as does James May getting knocked over by a wall of water when his caravan is 'spontaneously' flooded by a conveniently unlocked fire engine Clarkson and Hammond gain access to. Hammond's caravan and later his boat tipping over was fun but notice how you only see the internal shot of these events.

I like the return of the familiar challenge style episode but again this is too 'baggy' with unnecessary gimmicks and skits. A 60 minute runtime would have condensed the narrative of the story and improved the overall quality. The middle of this episode is dull at best and it's the first time I've been bored by The Grand Tour.

The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen (2019) Season 4, Episode 1

A 'baggy' addition to the adventures series

[7/10 · 29 July 2021]

It's always great to be able to join our favourite trio on their latest adventure. This time they have swapped their cars for boats.

Some Top Gear and Grand Tour purists may not like this idea, but actually it works quite well. The adventure focuses on them travelling through the challenging waterways of Vietnam.

As usual there are plenty of laughs along the way, although they do tread the same of repeated territory of previous adventures. There's the awkward scenes of Jeremy spraying deodorant in an market place and then during the night whilst Richard is sleeping, Jeremy customises the name of Richard's boat making it supposedly 'rude' and embarrassing for Richard, even though I doubt any of the local population understood it's meaning.

The weakest part of this episode is it's run time of 1hr 31 minutes. As much as I love feature length specials, this one feels incredibly 'baggy' with nothing of much interest happening for the majority of the journey. The boats all seem fairly reliable, the journey is fairly straight forward with the exception of the odd fishing line that gets caught on the propeller and the build up of thick vegetation for the trio to travel through. James May eventually gets left behind for a large part of the journey due to his slow boat and then when catches up they all get lost, resulting in the low tide leaving them stranded overnight. We never know what happens during the night as in the next shot we are back on the main water way. For the first 3 quarters of the episode not a lot happens.

Thankfully this all changes in the last 15 minutes, when the trio find themselves in the middle of the ocean battling fearsome waves in their tiny boats. This is really gripping TV and the stakes are incredibly high. This is by far the most dangerous situation they have been in on 'The Grand Tour'.

For me without the excellent ending of their adventure, this episode would be a dud. Yes it's nicely filmed and the country looks amazing but nothing really happens for the first 60-70 minutes. The last 20 minutes really save this episode.

The Grand Tour: Feed the World (2018) Season 2, Episode 11

Something Fishy

[7/10 · 29 July 2021]

On the whole this isn't a bad addition to the series of special adventures the trio embark upon. This time they are sort of parodying the culture of celebrities that head out to Africa to 'feed the world'. Instead Jeremy and his colleagues are actively attempting to let their actions do the talking.

The supposed purpose of this road trip is for Clarkson, Hammond and May to transport freshly caught fish 200 miles inland using vehicles of their choosing. As daft and unnecessary as this concept is, it does provide a few laughs along the way, although I'm sure animal lovers and vegans would disagree. I don't know why they have to have a back story or supposed reason for their road trip adventures these days. In the past it was always about the celebration of what cars and machines can do in harsh environments.

The actual road trip element of the episode it quite enjoyable, and there's the usual accidents and breakdowns along the way.

The only thing that lets this episode down is the usual skits, such as them 'breaking' into a hotel to 'steal' an ice machine and Jeremy's idea of smoking his fish in diesel fumes. I often wish they'd just be themselves rather than playing stupid and incompetent fools. The harder they try to be funny, the less they are.

Another minor grumble, is that at one point later on in the episode we see James May get stranded in a deep flooded road, yet we never see anything about how he was rescued and pulled to safety.

On the whole this is far from their worse special, but the concept of transporting fish doesn't really hit the mark.

The Ice Road (2021)

Usual Liam Neeson flick.

[7/10 · 30 June 2021]

Not as bad as some reviews make out. There are far worse films. Once the movie gets going the action isn't too bad. The script is the biggest let down, with cringe dialogue and unbelievable action that actually incredibly daft and surreal in places including lorries self righting with only a winch without damage, a character miraculously surviving an horrific crash and another quickly recovering from falling through the ice, oh and flimsy metal gates can hold heavy lorries with ease. There's far too many of these moments that you have to excuse.

The whole trapped minors subplot isn't really fully explored and the end of the film is over very quickly. The direction and script prevent the audience from caring if they survive or not. CGI is also very poor, which is understandable due to the super low budget

The above grumbles aside, I found this film fairly enjoyable and on par with other Neeson movies. If you can get through the slow start you will find some enjoyment.

Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003) Season 10, Episode 14

Disappointing Send Off

[6/10 · 18 June 2021]

I love Peter Falk as Columbo, he can't really do no wrong. As a kid who discovered the show through the regular re-runs in the late 90's early 2000s I couldn't believe that they were still making new episodes.

Columbo Likes the Nightlife, as you know was the final episode of Columbo produced. As an episode it's not really all that bad, especially when compared to most other TV shows. The biggest problem is that it wasn't really a fitting send off for our favourite detective.

This episode has a completely unique feel when compared to all other Columbo episodes. It's the first time the villain isn't a big shot and the whole episode feels very 'urban'. Columbo feels very out of place in the setting of a night club, when in all other episodes he's mixing with the top levels of society.

The story and murder it's self isn't actually too bad, its just that the underworld setting with the 'modern' title fonts and modern background music makes it feel like another generic 2000s low budget crime drama.

Falk, although really beginning to show his age, is absolutely faultless in his portrayal. It's just a shame that we never had the opportunity to give his most famous character a proper send off.