dreamwatch DVD "Review"
First of all, sorry for the lack of updates recently; a combination of there being no news, and us being busy/ILL. We've got a few things planned for next week, mind you...
But to keep you going, why not read the following review of the IV DVD, as published in dreamwatch #114:
Red Dwarf: Series Four
• BBC Worldwide • Region 2 two-disc DVD, £19.99
• Out: 16 February, 2004 • Web: www.reddwarf.co.uk
The surviving crew of the Jupiter Mining ship Red Dwarf (which amounts to one holographic coward, one anal mechanoid, one senile ship's computer, one egocentric life-form that evolved from a cat and the last human being in existence) are still trying to find their way home to Earth...
Series four of this fantastic sit-com doesn't rank as one of its best, with the humour often falling a little flat and the effects hampered, as usual, by a paltry budget.
Although there's no classic episode in this fourth outing for the Dwarfers - Justice is perhaps the best of a weak bunch - the season still has its moments, including the fantastic Mutton Vindaloo Monster, the return of the Talkie Toaster, and the first appearance of Ace Rimmer, Arnold Rimmer's eloquent doppelganger from an alternate dimension.
This double-disc DVD comes with some first-class extras, though. In addition to the six episodes - Camille, DNA, Justice, White Hole, Dimension Jump and Meltdown - disc one comes with cast and crew commentaries. Disc two, meanwhile, is made up of some typically inventive documentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes (or 'Smeg Ups' as they're known). Highlights this time round include a special focus on Ace entitled A Legend in Lame and a riotous version of Can't Cook, Won't Cook with Ainsley Harriot, featuring the boys cooking a curry.
Toby Weidmann
Dreamwatch Verdict 8
Another great release for one of the BBC's brightest lights. Red Dwarf is up there with the very best sitcoms of all time and, more than 10 years on, is still capable of inducing major belly laughs.
Ahem. First off, this continues the myth that IV just not very good; again, if anyone can point out exactly why IV is markedly poorer than III or V, I'd love to know. You might all have an unfavourite bit of IV - but tell me, where exactly does huge swathes of the series fall flat in the humour department? Secondly, the comment about the quality of the effects is ABSOLUTE BOLLOCKS. I can think of one bad effects shot in IV - an (admittedly quite offensive) wide shot of the escort boots in Justice - a bad bluescreen jobbie that quite LITERALLY RESEMBLES a jobbie. But that's it - and frankly, even if someone pointed out two or three others, that doesn't mean anything against the vast quanTITTIES of gorgeous effects in the series; the highlight for me being the wonderful crash into the ocean in Dimension Jump. I'm sorry, I know that I should respect other people's right to have a different opinion to me, but it just comes across as lazy, without actually looking at the facts.
Lastly, having spent a good amount of time criticising the show, the release is given 8/10! Is this just because of the extras? In which case, why don't dreamwatch do the sensible thing like some other magazines, and award seperate marks for the main release and the extras? Also: "disc one comes with cast and crew commentaries"? Yes, I remember the time Craig Charles DID THE FUCKING VISION MIXING, honest. Very poor. 2/10.
Oh, and when talking about Dwarf, it's 'hologrammatic', not 'holographic'.
Ian'll be around to do his Newsround later today, I expect, but if you can't wait until then, TOS usually updates around lunchtime.
Comments
Some people are prize pillocks, they really are.
Posted by Cappsy at February 13, 2004 11:46 AM
That line about Craig doing the vision mixing had me laughing for ten minutes. Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit, the highest form of intelligence. Brilliant!!!
As for Dreamwatch, ive never really respected the magazine that much to be honest.
Posted by Thomas A Evans at February 13, 2004 04:30 PM
Stopped reading Dreamwatch many moons ago, but I don't think it's a bad review as such.
I'm afraid that I too am of the opinion that series 4 isn't in the same league as 5,3,6 and 2 (in that order).
It's still a great series, but whereas there's standout episodes in most of the others, I agree with the reviewer in that there's a distinct lack of one in series 4 (although he's talking out of his arse regarding the special FX).
Justice and Camille are great. Dimension Jump tails off with a weak finale. White Hole is more clever than funny. DNA never seems to float my boat.
These are all good episodes. They're just not GREAT episodes.
Oh, and Meltdown? I couldn't possibly comment.
Posted by Pete Martin at February 13, 2004 05:07 PM
Meltdown is fantastic.
Posted by Ian Symes at February 13, 2004 06:03 PM
I can accept someone wouldn't like IV as much as III or V (although I wouldn't for a minute agree with it - I love it just as much) - I was just spouting off a bit in the article. But comments like "best of a weak bunch" are going a bit bloody far...
I've got a huge article planned about the effects in Dwarf - I'll definitely get round to writing it next week, as I'm fed up of hearing the same thing over and over again when it isn't even remotely true.
Posted by John Hoare at February 13, 2004 06:30 PM
I don't like the first half of IV so much, but I'd put the second half up there with the very best.
Posted by Darrell Jones at February 13, 2004 07:57 PM
Meltdown spins my nipple-nuts.
Posted by Joey at February 14, 2004 03:05 PM
*explodes*
Posted by Ian Symes at February 14, 2004 03:18 PM
I like Meltdown. Come on, Winnie the Pooh!!!!! What's not great about that episode?
Posted by Danny Pendleton at February 14, 2004 04:30 PM
I love Meltdown, in fact I think it's one of the best episodes in the whole 8 series of Red Dwarf... I mean, how can you not love the Winnie the Pooh bit, or Ghandi being made to do press ups?
Brilliant from start to finish, so I don't understand why some people don't like it.
Posted by Sparky at February 14, 2004 04:41 PM
I've been trying to work out why I regard Meltdown as one of the weaker episodes of the first 36...And I'm a bit stuck. Here are my best reasons :
* It may have something to do with the fact that it's simply repeating the same joke ; famous people doing things that you'd assume they wouldn't.
* The laughs are focused on the guest cast (who are allowed to overact) rather than the Dwarfers.
* Holly has about 3 lines and Cat and Lister spend most of the episode being held captive by various people.
* Really don't find Elvis impersonators particularly entertaining.
* Er...That's all I got.
Posted by Pete Martin at February 14, 2004 05:13 PM
I just watched Meltdown with commentary, and they do constantly mention about it being a 'least favourite' of fans. I think it's gone up in recent polls, but I love it, I really do.
Posted by Joey at February 14, 2004 05:37 PM
The cast talk shit. They know nothing.
Is anyone else developing a dislike towards Craig Charles? Apart from the fan slurs I can't think of any reasons why i'm going off him, but I am.
Posted by Cappsy at February 15, 2004 02:36 AM
Craig Charles is a tosser, I've never felt any differently.
Sounds as though this cast commentary is the worst yet - they need someone proper like Doug Naylor in or a moderator.
Posted by Darrell Jones at February 15, 2004 03:04 AM
The thing he says about people with Red Dwarf emails is bollocks, he's basically saying anyone with anything other than their own name in an email is a saddo. Whether it's Red Dwarf or not, that's an unfair comment.
Posted by Joey at February 15, 2004 09:50 AM
*wanders off to change ihaveahugepenishonestireallydo@hotmail.com to something more suitable....*
Posted by Sparky at February 15, 2004 11:01 AM
Craig Charles is an ungrateful sod. He's constantly having a go at the fans, but he doesn't complain when they pay him an extortionate amount of money for an autograph. He doesn't go to Dimension Jump because they don't pay him enough (allegedly), despite him being quite wealthy on the back of our money and our interest in the show. And what about the thousands of letters of support he got when he was in jail? Now things are going alright for him, he's forgotten about those people. He seems very two-faced; he was happy to chat to me when he was surrounded by tempting Red Dwarf merchandise, but I dread to think how he reacts when people say "hello" to him in the street.
Posted by Ian Symes at February 15, 2004 01:02 PM
Someone should go up to him in the street, drop their trousers in front of him and shout "CAN I PENETRATE YOUR *RING*, MR CHARLES!!!!!!"
I bet he'd love that.
Posted by Darrell Jones at February 15, 2004 03:01 PM
To say one thing positive about Craig Charles - he's better than most people give him credit for. His performance in Red Dwarf (especially in Series 2-VI) is in the main really, really good - and his voiceovers for Takeshi's Castle are also better than is given credit for (his repeated use of the word 'wassock' the other day had me in fits). And whilst I haven't heard it, my girlfriend assures me his Funk Show is very good also.
However, with regarding what people are ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT, yes. What a twat.
As for Meltdown being "the least favourite of fans", I presume what is *really* meant by that is certain sections of fans - I know there is a fairly large contingent of alt.tv.red-dwarf people who don't like it - is it the same with the official fan club? It certainly doesn't appear to be the case when I ask loads of other people - they always seem to love it.
Posted by John Hoare at February 15, 2004 05:08 PM
Oh, and regarding Pete's comment about Dimension Jump - whilst I love the episode, the end always annoys me - as it *is* so anti-climatic and poor. It's pretty obvious that something was cut out - I remember thinking the kippers were supposed to end up all over Rimmer before I even knew that was what was originally shot - the episode would be better off without that whole scene completely, with just the cut to the scrolltext.
Not that it ruins a damn good episode, but it's one of the few bits in IV that irritates me.
Posted by John Hoare at February 15, 2004 05:15 PM
If my histo-chip serves me correctly, TORDFC did a rather detailed poll in 1995 about various aspects of the show.
Meltdown finished at number #36 in "The Best Episode" bit.
That was 9 years ago... but I guess that, whilst opinions change, some things are cast in stone. I guess members change but it's hard to shake off the label of "Weak episode".
Posted by Pete Martin at February 15, 2004 07:27 PM
Actually it may have been #35. I think Waiting For God may have been last...
Posted by Pete Martin at February 15, 2004 07:31 PM
Yep, the fan club tended to do a poll at the end of every series from V onwards (our old pal Ellard used to run them), and Meltdown always came near the bottom, along with BoP, WfG and, bizarrely, Holoship.
Posted by Ian Symes at February 15, 2004 09:04 PM
What a pack of cunts.
Posted by John Hoare at February 15, 2004 10:18 PM
"a pack of cunts."
American fans get one of these free with the next two DVDs.
Posted by Darrell Jones at February 15, 2004 11:16 PM
In the main, I don't mind Craig Charles, but I think he shows classic distancing behaviour as regards the fans. I don't understand how his obvious love for and interest in funk music is any different from a love for a sitcom, but he is clearly trying to avoid being seen as a 'geek'.
Also, I really wish he'd stop making crass 'fat' jokes in Takeshi's Castle. They're not funny, and just show how scared and prejudiced he really is. All-round fantastic people like Rob Llewellyn don't have to do it.
Posted by Tanya Jones at February 18, 2004 06:15 PM
I want to marry Rob Llewellyn.
Posted by Cappsy at February 18, 2004 06:55 PM
He never answered my e-mail asking him if he's up to anything G&T could do an article on, though.
Maybe it's because I said that "even if you've just done a particuarly big poo recently, that'd probably count as news to us". Wah.
Posted by John Hoare at February 18, 2004 06:57 PM
I was hoping to extract some nuggets (of info, not poo) from him to go into the big 'Making of KYTV' article I have planned.
Posted by Darrell Jones at February 18, 2004 07:31 PM
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