Archive for dvd

“Taking the Flak”: Tira Shubart talks about the DVD extras

Posted in taking the flak, tv with tags , , , , , , on 5 September, 2009 by ambarussa

rory_mural

“(…) Our wonderful art department hired some delightful Tanzanian artists to paint portraits of our actors in various places in the city of Arusha. Margaret–played by Jo Brookes–could be seen on the back of a Dala Dala (a local bus) while David (Martin Jarvis) was painted on a wall near the market. Rory –Damian O’ Hare–was on the corner of a busy intersection, with camera at the ready. Jane–Doon’s character was above a shop on one of the busiest markets streets. (…)”

READ THE COMPLETE ENTRY ON TIRA SHUBART’S BLOG HERE

You can buy the “Taking the Flak” DVD with many prettiful extras HERE.

Have you read the “Flak” entries on the BBC’s comedy blog, by the way? If not,

READ THEM ALL HERE!

  • Cameramen and War
  • Animals
  • Strictly Come Tribal Dancing
  • Red Button and Photos
  • Ruby Wax
  • The Red Button

Last but not least, here’s another DVD review; this time in French.

CRITICTOO

Here’s a (quick and probably not very accurate) translation of the summary at the end of the review for those who don’t speak French:

Therefore, Taking The Flak is not a memorable series, but it still offers something to satisfy the fans of the genre. There was a lot of potential in the beginning which remained unexploited; the show opted for a more futile and superficial approach. The result will pass the time. And that’s about it.

“(…) Taking The Flak n’est donc pas une série mémorable, mais offre tout de même de quoi satisfaire quelques adeptes du genre. Il y avait un bon potentiel au départ qui restera plutôt inexploité, le show optant pour une approche plus futile et superficielle. Résultat, ça fait passer le temps. Sans plus. (…)”

“Taking the Flak”: DVD Review

Posted in reviews, taking the flak, tv with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on 21 August, 2009 by ambarussa

Disclaimer: I’m not moonlighting as cheapjack movie critic here, I just really think your money will be spent on a good product. We all have bills to pay and a life to manage; £11.48 (through Amazon) is a lot of money for many of us, so I feel decent information before you buy is nothing but fair. If I thought otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend the DVD, no matter who’s on the show.

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Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Martin Jarvis, Joanna Brookes, Doon Mackichan and Damian O'Hare in "Taking the Flak".

Don’t judge this DVD by its cover! If you like your DVD to come with printed information of any kind, then you’ll be disappointed. I’d at least expected a list of the episodes and their titles. All you get is a blurb which once again mentions “irritably-bowelled” Margaret, an “aspect” of the character that only turned up in the pilot, was annoying to the ninth and luckily got dropped for all future episodes. Jane is described as hard-nosed, which is rubbish and gives a wrong impression of the character. The way this DVD looks, it will be difficult for anybody to tell the difference between the real thing and a pirated copy…

But it’s the content that counts, and here, the “Taking the Flak” DVD is definitely not on the cheap side.

EPISODES

On two DVDs, you will find all seven episodes of the series, including the one-hour pilot. Due to the unrests that broke out in Kenya after production of the first episode, the work on the series was interrupted for many months and production was moved to Tanzania. It shows; not only does the 30 minute format suit the series better than the 60 minutes it was waltzed out to for the pilot, the first episode also suffers from some  awkward scenes and jokes which are simply not funny. The series improved from episode to episode, and those who gave it a chance after the pilot were not disappointed.

“Taking the Flak”: DVD Release, Contest Deadline

Posted in taking the flak, tv with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 17 August, 2009 by ambarussa

“TAKING THE FLAK” DVD RELEASED TODAY!

dvd_ttf

BUY THE “TAKING THE FLAK” DVD!

For Harry Chambers (Bruce Mackinnon), the local BBC stringer in the fictional African nation of Karibu, a civil war after years of conflict could mean his big break. Unfortunately, the London newsroom parachutes in its own team under the command of the BBC’s egotistical foreign editor David Bradburn (Martin Jarvis), whose attitude would give any opera diva a run for her money. His long suffering producer Jane Thomason (Doon Mackichan) has the near impossible job of organising David, the cameramen Jack (Lloyd Owen) and Rory Wallace (Damian O’Hare), Margaret Hollis (Joanna Brookes) from the World Service, her own love-life and some friendly locals. Keeping all egos in check is not easy, and if only all would go according to plan, this might be the best story of their lives.

Harry finds it difficult to manage both his career and his relationship to sharp-tongued hotel receptionist Grace (Lydiah Gitachu). Luckily, he’s getting all possible support from local fixer Joyful Sifuri (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), whose connections and cousins are invaluable.

Of course, there are a few minor obstacles in the way of fame and fortune: the desperately uninterested London desk producers; all-action American star reporter, Candida Colter; the BBC’s Brussels’ Correspondent who’s muscling in on their story, and the small matter of people shooting at you in a strange country! Will David’s famous BAFTA crouch save the day…?

Written and produced by experienced, award winning journalists (Tira Shubart, Jon Rolph, Paul Kerensa) and including cameo appearances from real BBC News anchors.

Starring Martin Jarvis, Doon Mackichan, Bruce Mackinnon, Joanna Brookes, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Damian O’Hare,  Lydiah Gitachu, Lucy Chalkley, Harry Lloyd and many others.

The DVD is already in stock, mine was actually dispatched by Amazon on 15 August.

Of course, there’s always the option of participating in our

TAKING THE FLAK CONTEST

and win the DVD (or a t-shirt).

Deadline is today, 17 August, 2009, 11pm GMT.

Taking the Flak: Screencaps S01E06, “Big Beasts”

Posted in taking the flak, tv with tags , , , , , , , on 15 August, 2009 by ambarussa

“According to this article, one of your ex-wives has spilled the beans about your silicone injections, David…”

doh_flak_010622gal

Get your self-teaching “How To Become A Famous BBC Journalist” workshop here:

BBC iPlayer

Best episode so far imho – some truly stellar Harry-moments!

THIS WAY FOR THE SCREENCAPS, PLEASE!

And don’t forget our

TAKING THE FLAK CONTEST!

Win the DVD or a t-shirt!

“The Brøken”: DVD out in the UK, gallery online

Posted in movies, the broken, website with tags , , , on 6 June, 2009 by ambarussa

“The Brøken” is now available on DVD in the UK as well. Click here if you’d like to buy this movie on Amazon UK.

If you start watching, doze off five minutes into the movie, wake up in the middle for a moment, fall asleep again and then wake up for the last five minutes, you won’t miss much of the action and none of Damian’s scenes. I found “The Brøken” to be as entertaining, surprising and terrifying as London on a rainy morning in October. Which is pretty much the feeling of the movie right from the start. Personally, I’d rate it with 2 1/2 stars, but this is coming from somebody who thinks “Godzilla vs. Biollante” is great cinema and owns the “Eight Legged Freaks” DVD, so…

The screencaps of the movie are up on the website now:

“The Brøken” Gallery

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Damian O'Hare as Anthony in The Brøken

“Taking the Flak” – DVD release date (…!)

Posted in taking the flak, tv with tags , , , on 5 June, 2009 by ambarussa

We might not know yet on what dates “Taking the Flak” will be aired on BBC2 (aside from “sometime in July”), but the release date for the DVD to go with it is already out. And you can place pre-orders. Very thoughtful!

DVD RELEASE OF “TAKING THE FLAK”: 14 September, 2009

To think how long I had to wait for the release of “Catweazle”…