BLEAK EXPECTATIONS
The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Saturday 14th September 2024
What started off as a silly Radio 4 comedy series became a silly West End show. The works of Charles Dickens pillaged and parodied to Pythonesque proportions. Writer Mark Evans, adapting his own series, makes certain there is plenty of visual humour and physical comedy, things that don’t work too well on the…
When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
Jack Ryan: Harrison Ford
Dr. Caroline “Cathy” Ryan: Anne Archer
Sally Ryan: Thora Birch
Sean Miller: Sean Bean
Kevin O’Donnell: Patrick Bergin
Annette: Polly Walker
Lord William Holmes: James Fox
Lt. Cmdr. Robby Jackson: Samuel L. Jackson
Adm. James Greer: James Earl Jones
Paddy O’Neil: Richard Harris
Marty Cantor: J.E. Freeman
Dennis Cooley: Alex Norton
Watkins: Hugh Fraser
Inspector Highland: David Threlfall
Owens: Alun Armstrong
Sissy: Berlinda Tolbert
Lord Justice: Gerald Sim
First Aide: Pip Torrens
Ashley: Thomas Russell
Charlie Dugan: Andrew Connolly
Ned Clark: Keith Campbell
Jimmy Reardon: Jonathan Ryan
Court Guard: P.H. Moriarty
Interviewer: Bob Gunton
CIA Technician: Ted Raimi
Secretary: Brenda James
Paddy Boy: Karl Hayden
Lady Holmes: Claire Oberman
Young Holmes: Oliver Stone
The Electrician: Tom Watt
Constable: Tim Dutton
Constable: Martin Cochrane
Rose: Ellen Geer
Winter: John Lafayette
Ferro: Shaun Duke
Spiva: Fritz Sperberg
CIA Analyst: Allison Barron
Dr Shapiro: Philip Levien
FBI Agent Shaw: Jesse D. Goins
Avery: Michael Ryan Way
FBI Director’s Bodyguard (uncredited): Peter Weireter
Film Crew:
Director of Photography: Donald McAlpine
Original Music Composer: James Horner
Screenplay: W. Peter Iliff
Producer: Mace Neufeld
Producer: Robert Rehme
Director: Phillip Noyce
Screenplay: Donald Stewart
Editor: William Hoy
Editor: Neil Travis
Casting: Cathy Sandrich Gelfond
Makeup Artist: Michael Key
Casting: Amanda Mackey
Executive Producer: Charles H. Maguire
Makeup Department Head: Peter Robb-King
Art Direction: Joseph P. Lucky
Hairstylist: Anne Morgan
Costume Design: Norma Moriceau
Makeup Artist: Pat Gerhardt
Set Decoration: John M. Dwyer
Makeup Artist: John R. Bayless
Production Design: Joseph C. Nemec III
Stunts: Dick Ziker
Stunts: Terry Leonard
Visual Effects Supervisor: Robert Grasmere
Visual Effects Supervisor: John C. Walsh
Stunt Coordinator: Andy Bradford
Stunt Coordinator: Steve Boyum
Stunts: Michael T. Brady
Stunts: Janet Brady
Stunts: William H. Burton Jr.
Stunts: Bobby Bass
Stunts: Keith Campbell
Stunts: David Burton
Stunts: Clarke Coleman
Stunts: Gerry Crampton
Stunts: Cynthia Cypert
Stunts: Laura Dash
Stunts: Gabe Cronnelly
Stunts: Steve M. Davison
Stunts: Jeff Imada
Stunts: Jeffrey J. Dashnaw
Stunts: Annie Ellis
Stunts: Richard M. Ellis
Stunts: Tony Epper
Stunts: Elaine Ford
Stunts: Kenny Endoso
Stunts: James M. Halty
Stunt Coordinator: Martin Grace
Stunts: Steve Hart
Stunts: Scott Hubbell
Stunts: Craig Hosking
Stunts: Henry Kingi
Stunts: Joel Kramer
Stunts: Paul Jennings
Stunts: Gene LeBell
Stunts: Gary McLarty
Stunts: Mark McBride
Stunts: Bennie Moore
Stunts: Valentino Musetti
Stunts: John C. Meier
Stunts: Alan Oliney
Stunts: Chuck Picerni Jr.
Stunt Double: Bobby Porter
Stunts: Steve Picerni
Stunts: Tony van Silva
Stunts: Chad Randall
Stunts: Rod Woodruff
Stunt Double: Vic Armstrong
Second Unit Director: David R. Ellis
Stunts: Gregory J. Barnett
Stunts: Tim A. Davison
Novel: Tom Clancy
Movie Reviews:
John Chard: Good guys are real good, and the bad guys are real bad.
Patriot Games is a more than serviceable thriller, perhaps a bit out of date when viewing it now, but still a very effective good against evil piece.
The source material is so dense and intricate it was always going to be hard to condense that into a 2 hour movie, but I feel the makers manage to keep it fleshy whilst making the respective characters interesting and watchable.
The acting on show is more than adequate, Harrison Ford is great in the role of Jack Ryan, he manages to portray him as a sensitive family man who can step up to the plate when things get ugly, and Anne Archer is solid enough as the wife and mother caught up in the web of nastiness unfolding.
The baddies are led by the brooding Sean Bean who is a little under written, whilst Richard Harris is sadly underused. However, the action set pieces make their mark and thankfully we get a riveting...
Bradley Walsh | The Chase UK 2009 | Full 2nd Episode S1E2 | Shaun Wallace
The UK version of The Chase started it all in 2009. This is the second episode of the most watched UK game show ever. The show is still on the air. The chaser is Shaun Wallace, he and Mark Labbett (the Beast), are the two original chasers and Bradley Walsh, who is still the host, was the original host. Never Miss An Upload, Join the channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPred-VFSZu6JXwASx0EpQ
MAKING OF: Atoms for Peace - "Before Your Very Eyes" from Andrew Thomas Huang on Vimeo.
Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang
andrewthomashuang.com
facebook.com/AndrewThomasHuang
twitter.com/Andrew_T_Huang/
Producers: Brian Welsh & Matt Marsh
Executive Producer: Tamsin Glasson
Director of Photography: Laura Merians
Production Designer: Rebecca Stillman
Hair & Makeup Artist: Olive Meyer
Production Supervisor: Lauren Simpson
1st AC: Robby Hart
2nd AC/DIT: Daniel Wurschl
Camera PA: Rebecca Carpenter
Gaffer: Jamie Davis
Key Grip: Mark Hyde
Jib Operator: Stephen Winders
Art Director: Adrian Romo
Makeup Assistant: Tina Martinez
Stop Motion Animator: Eileen Kohlhepp
Art Department Artists:
Emily Franz
Jody Hughes
Nancy Jean Tucker
Jeff Knowlton
Jenn Rose
Chris Swanson
Amanda Tasse
Production Assistant: Brian Steffen
POST PRODUCTION & VFX:
Visual Effects Supervisor: R James Healy
Lead CG Lighter: Carlos Diego
Lead Compositor: Andrew Thomas Huang
Lead CG Modeler: Lucas Cuenca
Compositors:
Leo Bridle
Mathias Cadyck
Elisa Ciocca
Alix Fizet
Jonathan Gallagher
Duncan Gist
Sami Guellaï
Stefano Lari
Adriano Vessichelli
CG Technical Directors:
Mathias Cadyck
Gianmarco Colalongo
Gareth Ermisz
Sami Guellaï
Tim Jenkinson
Simon Renaud
Johannes Sambs
CG Tracking:
Grant Hewlett
Dan Newlands
Natalie Rocks
Behind-the-Scenes Crew:
On Set Photographers: Chris Sinclair & Leandro Santini
Editor: Leandro Santini
Visual Effects created at Blinkink Studios
Head of Production: Josephine Gallagher
Color Correction by The Mill
Colorist: James Bamford
Mill Producer: Cath Short
Props Workshop provided by Screen Novelties
Sound Stage provided by Milk Studios
Special Thanks to:
Blinkink Studios
Screen Novelties: Chris Finnegan, Seamus Walsh & Mark Caballero
Logan Schneider
The Mill
Milk Studios & LEGS Media: Mazdack Rassi, Shaun Murdock, Adam Joseph & Tom Berendsen
A Colonel Blimp & Good Company Production
Video Commissioner: Phil Lee
Record Label: XL Recordings
Cricket: The Closest Test Match Finishes – In Pictures
After New Zealand defeated England in dramatic fashion in Wellington in the second Test (February 28th, 2023), we look at some of the closest finishes to five-day matches
— John Windmill | The Guardian USA | February 28, 2023
The Oval, 1882: Australia 🇦🇺 win by seven runs! Fred Spofforth, known as The Demon Bowler, bowls to WG Grace in the famous 1882 Test between England and Australia at the Oval. Cue the famous obituary in the Sporting Times, the burning of the bails, marking the birth of the Ashes tradition. Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images
Karachi, 1994: Pakistan 🇵🇰 win by one wicket! Inzamam-ul-Haq runs for the pavilion as his teammate, Mushtaq Ahmed, kisses the wicket at the end of Pakistan’s one-wicket win against Australia in Karachi. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Sydney Cricket Ground, 1994: South Africa 🇿🇦 win by five runs! Fanie de Villiers celebrates taking the final Australian wicket, of Glenn McGrath, as South Africa, recently readmitted to the Test arena, overcome Mark Taylor’s Australia in Sydney. Photograph: Getty Images
Kensington Oval, 1999: West Indies win by one wicket! West Indies’ captain, Brian Lara, is swamped by fans after hitting the winning runs in the third Test against Australia in Bridgetown in 1999. Lara scored an unbeaten 153 in the second innings as West Indies won by one wicket to go 2-1 up in the series. Photograph: Ben Radford/Getty Images (Top)
Adelaide Oval, 1993: West Indies win by one run! The West Indies bowler Courtney Walsh celebrates with Phil Simmons after their victory on day four of the fourth Test against Australia in Adelaide. West Indies won by one run. Photograph: Getty Images/Hulton Archive (Bottom)
Edgbaston, 2005: 🏴 win by two runs! The greatest Test match finish? Brett Lee is consoled by Andrew Flintoff after Australia fall just short against England in 2005. The victory in Birmingham levelled the series at 1-1, and England went on to win their first series over Australia for 18 years. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Mohali, 2010: India 🇮🇳 win by one wicket! Pragyan Ojha (right) celebrates India’s one-wicket victory against Australia with teammates VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina in Mohali in 2010. Laxman scored 77 in the second innings to help pull off an incredible victory. Photograph: Pal Pillai/Getty Images
Abu Dhabi, 2018: New Zealand 🇳🇿 win by four runs! New Zealand cricketers celebrate after taking the final wicket, of Azhar Ali for 65, as the Black Caps win an incredible Test in the heat of Abu Dhabi. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images
Chennai, 1999: Pakistan 🇵🇰 win by 12 runs! The Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq (centre) celebrates with teammates after dismissing India’s Javagal Srinath to win the first Test between Pakistan and India on Indian soil in 12 years. Pakistan withstood a century by Sachin Tendulkar to win the first Test by 12 runs. Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
Durban, 2018: Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 win by one wicket! With Sri Lanka a fading force after several all-time greats retired in the previous decade, South Africa were favourites for this series. Sri Lanka slid to 226 for nine in pursuit of 304 but Kusal Perera’s unbeaten 153 helped Sri Lanka to an unlikely victory. Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images
Headingley, 2019: England 🏴 win by one wicket! Ben Stokes celebrates clinching an unforgettable match at Headingley against Australia in 2019. Stokes saw England home with a magnificent 135 not out alongside Jack Leach, who scored one run from 17 balls in the course of an hour. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
INDIES 8 GREATEST WORLD CRICKET XV's OF ALL TIME !
I. INDIES 1ST CRICKET WORLD XV.....OF ALL TIME !
I.E 'CRICKET'S FOREVER UNBEATABLE XV' !
1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Don Bradman
3. Rahul Dravid (wk)
4. Mohammad Azharuddin
5. Brian Lara
6. Garfield Sobers (C)
7. Kapil Dev
8. Shane Warne
9. Bishen Singh Bedi
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Joel Garner
12. Viv Richards
13. Anil Kumble
14. Mohinder Amarnath
15. BS Chandrashekhar
II. INDIES 2ND CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Wally Hammond (wk)
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Zaheer Abbas (wk)
4. Vijay Merchant (C)
5. George Headley
6. Vijay Hazare
7. Sanath Jayasuriya
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Colin Croft
10. Erapalli Prasanna
11. Jeff Thompson
12. S. Venkataraghavan
13. Malcolm Marshall
14. Courtney Walsh
15. Curtly Ambrose
III. INDIES 3RD CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Saeed Anwar (wk)
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Martin Crowe (C)
4. Clive Lloyd
5. Javed Miandad
6. VVS Laxman
7. Imran Khan
8. Wasim Akram
9. Allan Donald
10. Waqar Younis
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
12. Hashim Amla
13. Javagal Srinath
14. Manoj Prabhakar
15. Saqlain Mushtaq
IV. INDIES 4TH CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Desmond Haynes
2. David Warner
3. Kumara Sangakkara (wk)
4. Ricky Ponting (C)
5. Jacques Kallis
6. Greg Chappell
7. David Gower
8. Ian Botham
9. Lance Gibbs
10. Andy Roberts
11. Glenn McGrath
12. Mohammad Nissar
13. Michael Holding
14. Venkatesh Prasad
15. Mushtaq Ahmed
V. INDIES 5TH CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Gordon Greenidge
2. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
3. Greg Chappell
4. Aravinda de Silva
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. Kane Williamson
7. Denis Compton (C)
8. Chaminda Vaas
9. Dale Steyn
10. Ian Bishop
11. Pervez Sajjad
12. Dimuth Karunaratne
13. Leary Constantine
14. Khan Mohammad
15. Mushtaq Mohammad
VI. INDIES 6TH CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Len Hutton
2. David Boon
3. Mark Waugh
4. Michael Bevan (wk)
5. Ross Taylor
6. Angelo Mathews (C)
7. Shaun Pollock
8. Asif Iqbal
9. Chris Cairns
10. Wes Hall
11. Rangana Herath
12. Mohammad Farooq
13. Iqbal Qasim
14. Ijaz Faqih
15. Farooq Hamid
VII. INDIES 7TH CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Navjot Singh Sidhu
2. Geoff Marsh
3. Mahela Jayawardene
4. Dean Jones
5. Arjuna Ranatunga
6. Inzamam ul Haq (C)
7. Karsan Ghavri
8. Harold Larwood
9. Sydney Barnes
10. Fred Trueman
11. Nathan Lyon
12. Intikhab Alam
13. Graeme Swann
14. Sarfaraz Nawaz
15. Mike Hussey
VIII. INDIES 8TH CRICKET WORLD XV....OF ALL TIME !
1. Alastair Cook
2. Graham Gooch
3. Kepler Wessels (C)
4. Matthew Hayden
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Marcus Trescothick (wk)
7. W G Grace
8. Mohammad Rafique
9. Aaqib Javed
10. Mitchell Johnson
11. Abdul Qadir
12. AB DeVilliers
13. Colin Cowdrey
14. Clyde Walcott
15. Frank Worrell
CHARLEY’S AUNT
The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Saturday 29th June 2024
I manage to catch the production’s last in-house performance in the Ron Barber Studio before it embarks on a tour of stately homes around the region. First appearing in 1892, Brandon Thomas’s play is a quintessential old-school farce that basically involves two well-to-do cheps at Oxford recruiting a third to impersonate…
The Chase UK (11-14-2014) | British Game Show | British Quiz Show | Full Episode
The Chase has a regular viewership of three to five million, the game show is one of the most successful and longest running game shows on UK television, as well as one of ITV's most successful daytime shows ever. The quiz show has been nominated six times at the National Television Awards, winning in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The Chase was also nominated for the inaugural Best Daytime award at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards but won it in 2022. Additionally, The Chase has become a successful international franchise with regional versions in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. The UK version of The Chase began on June 29, 2009 and is still on the air, The host of the show is Bradley Walsh from the start. As of 2023, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis are The Chasers, Labbett and Wallace have both been chasers since Series 1. Never Miss An Upload, Join the channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPred-VFSZu6JXwASx0EpQ