Well given the paucity of films on telly this week it will be a case of having to find something else to do. As regular readers will know I do not generally recommend films that I have already recommended in the last month or so. Unfortunately most of the films that are on this week in which I have an interest albeit a vague one I have either never seen and so cannot recommend or have been reviewed recently in these pages.
The only film that I can wholeheartedly recommend this week is War Games. It has dated badly largely because of the changes in geopolitics and technology. Also its two main stars have gone onto other things to varying degrees of success. This is a geek film set against the backdrop of the Cold War. I watched it recently with Tom not having watched it for many years. It like many similar films of the time such as Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator enthral children and Tom enjoyed it.
I will be concentrating my viewing on a few programs this week. Clearly there is an awful lot of dross on television but it was ever thus the problem is that now there are more channels full of it. Tha being said there have always been gems hidden away which if you take the time to look you can find. Then there are others which you don't have to look hard for as they are rammed down your throat.
Saturday brings us Merlin which if a little tedious is nevertheless not as bad as some would have us believe. The 'purists' cry but you have messed around with the key relationships between characters. There is little or no actual evidence that any of these people existed so how do we know? There are so many versions of the MYTH that does it matter if there is another. My personal favourite has always been Excalibur by John Boorman. Also on Saturday there is Timewatch which as a history fan is usually good value for money. For me if I am interested in the period under discussion I will always watch. There is also Mind Body & Kick Ass Moves which is great if you like martial arts. There was a BBC series in the 80s called Way of the Warrior and this is just that brought up to date. I am in two minds about Blue Peter At 50 largely because I was always a bit ambivalent about the series anyway.
The BBC has managed to clash to great programmes on Sunday night. On BBC1 there is Stephen Fry in America. Ever since Billy Connolly did his World Tours I have been hoping that he would do Canada and America but to date this has not happened. Fry is an intelligent and eloquent presenter who is well known for being fascinated by America and things American. So I am looking forward to this series. Also we reach the end of James May's Big Ideas on BBC 2. This is the sort of thing that justifies the licence fee. Intelligent and witty discussion of the issues involved in the subject. These are the sort of programmes which make you wonder 'Why couldn't they have taught me at school?' When these shows are done well they are fantastic. Earlier on there is Simon Schama doing to American history what he did to British history. He is, as I understand it, using the premise of understanding the past to see into the future. Also we reach the end of the latest Charley Boorman road trip.
Monday brings us Panorama on the US elections, Amazon and The Story of Maths. Panorama can be hit and miss but the US elections are fascinating for all their faults. They make you wonder how a country that powerful can be that stupid. I have been dipping in and out of Amazon so to speak it's alright but I have to say I preferred the documentary narrated by Feargal Keane a few years ago. The Story of Maths is one for Alison. The presenter is one of those who makes the subject accessible in the mould of John Romer, Simon Schama, Michael Palin, Terry Jones etc. Also for the mathematically minded on Tuesday we High Anxieties: the Mathematics of Chaos. This one interests me as it is one of the few bits of maths that I am actually interested in.
Wednesday the only thing to recommend is Heroes. What more needs to be said?
Well that's all for now?
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