What’s On TV – Pennies From Heaven

List Item:  Watch half of the 1001 TV Series You Must Watch Before You Die
Progress: 181/501
Title: Pennies From Heaven
Episodes Aired: 6
Episodes Watched: 6
Year(s): 1978
Country: UK

It would be so easy to avoid doing these TV write-ups and just post a link to the podcast instead. In fact, if it were not for the fact that this blog turns 3 years old soon (woah that’s a realisation and a half) I would have done so instead of just including a link at the end.

Pennies From Heaven comes from the mind of Dennis Potter – who would later go on to create the very well loved miniseries The Singing Detective. In fact, Pennies from Heaven is the first of three Dennis Potter musical series on the 1001 TV Shows list (Lipstick On Your Collar completes the list). Therefore it makes sense to start off at the first of his successful lip-synced TV musicals.

Many years ago I had seen the 2004 miniseries Blackpool so I kinda knew what to expect. However, seeing Bob Hoskins going into full music-hall mode really did take me aback. In his role of Arthur Parker (music sheet salesman and liar extraordinaire) he has to carry a lot of the series’ tonal shifts on his shoulders.

At times he’s the comic relief that we sorely need and at others he is as serious as a heart attack. At all times this man is a complete jerk. We see him hit and intimidate his wife, lech after teenage blind girl, lie through his teeth and, ultimately, corrupt another person. Yet, all he wants is someone to believe in him.

There is one rather heartbreaking moment in the first episode where all he wants is his wife to hold him (as even he realises that he isn’t doing that well as a salesman) and she can’t even do that for him. It’s sad to see… and then you remember how mismatched these two are. I mean this is a married couple that never should have been. He very much wants sex and she can’t stand being touched by him. It was never going to work.

Enter school teacher Eileen (a fantastic turn by Cheryl Campbell). At the start she is very much an innocent. She’s quietly spoken, works as a primary school teacher in the Forest of Dean and who lives with her father and brothers. By her end point she has had a back alley abortion, worked as a prostitute and, oh yes, killed a man.

A lot of the bad (or morally negative things) are not directly because of Arthur, but it is because of his initial pursuit that all these things happen to her. She’s the perfect foil for Arthur as through it all she remains utterly practical and fatalist whilst he is still this weird lying dreamer.

Anyway, enough from me. If you want to hear more (including some ideas for an updated cast) please listen to the Just Watch It podcast!

Oscar Bait – Moonlight / La La Land

Title: Moonlight
Director: Barry Jenkins
Year: 2016
Country: USA

Dear Fences, this is how you make an essential film out of a play. This is one of the highest rated films in Metacritic history and, alongside Hidden Figures, tells a story that hasn’t been told before. As such, Moonlight is one of the films I have been looking forward to seeing the most and why it’s late release in the UK has been so vexing.

Overall, Moonlight is the story of a queer black boy growing up and dealing with the discrimination that can be found in the predominantly black communities of America. He is ostracised and physically beaten by his peers, has a crack addict for a mother and the only people who are nice to him are a drug dealer and his girlfriend.

Over the course of three acts (child, adolescent and adult respectively) we witness what such a set of circumstances can do to a queer person. It’s just… really so well done and the more I think about this film the more I want to see it again.

Going into Moonlight I did not expect such an arty film. It really does make it stand out from the other films that have been nominated. So much of what makes this film special is down to the work of the director and the cinematographer. The use of colour is gorgeous and really harks back to the title of the original play: Moonlight Makes Black Boys Look Blue. 

Together the director and cinematographer also manage to give each of the chapters a distinct look due to their choice to film each one using a different type of film. The differences are subtle, but it’s enough to make it look like the film quality is growing up as Chiron grows up.

As much as I would love a film like Moonlight to take home the Best Picture nod I can’t see the academy that refused a win to Brokeback Mountain or even a Best Actor not to David Oyelowo for his incredible Selma will give a major award to this film.

Title: La La Land
Director: Damien Chazelle
Year: 2016
Country: USA

I know that this is a very snobby thing to say, but I went into this film wanting to dislike it. Well, dislike is a bit strong. When I saw a trailer for it back in the summer I was desperate to see it. Then everyone started going to see it and loving it… so out came my inner hipster.

Within the first 1-2 minutes I had goosebumps. So that’s how long that lasted. By the end of the first song I knew I was watching something special and soon-to-be iconic.  Now that it’s a day later and I think back all I want to do is re-watch this film.

I think I have mentioned before that whilst I do like some musicals (like Moulin Rouge) there are many I have seen that bored me (Across The Universe) or did not get at all (Singin’ In The Rain). However, I am much more receptive to musicals than the average person, so there was always going to be a chance that I would love it… and love it I did.

There is the magnificent chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, the songs, the fact that so many details serve as an homage to classic Hollywood cinema, the fantastic direction and one shots, the dream ballet at the end, some proper goosebumps moments, one weepy moment and a sharp dose of honesty.

Yes, I know that when compared to Moonlight this film is a bit frothy. The thing is, it’s a fantastically well done piece of froth. Also, if you watch the film and get to the moment where Emma Stone sings her heart out in her audition and still think this is froth… then I don’t know what to say. I was genuinely moved by this film.

Ranking
1) La La Land
2) Manchester by the Sea
3) Arrival
4) Moonlight
5) Hell or High Water
6) Hacksaw Ridge
7) Hidden Figures
8) Lion
…
…
9) Fences

List Item: Watch all Best Picture Winners (to date)

So unless there is a write in candidate that wins the day I am able to keep this part of my list well and truly crossed off. It’s been a stunner of a year for nominees where I can say that I have 6-7 films that I would be okay winning.

Obviously I am Team La La Land, but if that wins remains to be seen. I have a fear that, considering the times we appear to be entering, these will end up being a political Oscars. Whilst I am okay with Moonlight winning because it is the best film of the bunch according to Metacritic… it is the Best Actor race I am more worried about.

Progress: 90/90

Oscar Bait – Hacksaw Ridge / Lion / Fences

Since 9 films are in the running for Best Picture this year it was always going to happen that one of these posts had to feature three. With the bookies’ favourites Moonlight and La La Land left to see it made sense to combine these three outside chances into one post.

Title: Hacksaw Ridge
Director: Mel Gibson
Year: 2016
Country: Australia/USA

This was probably the film I was least looking forward to see. A war film directed by Mel Gibson? Oh please. I couldn’t stand Braveheart and I have no real desire to watch either The Passion of the Christ or its upcoming sequel.

And yet, here was war film that felt thoughtful. A film about the first conscientious objector to win the US Medal of Honour? Now that’s a story that could be interesting. Especially when you compare it to the likes of Sergeant York. Both are films about extremely Christian men going to war. However, where Sergeant York had this man commit mass killings we see young Desmond Doss stay true to the Ten Commandments.

It’s an astonishing story. If this had been made up for the sake of a film it would feel ridiculous. I mean here is a man who you could pretty much describe as a miracle worker or a guardian angel. On the battlefield he helped both the allies and the axis soldiers if he came across them, that alone is extraordinary.

What is more extraordinary is how fine the line that needs to to walked in order to have a character like this not be insufferable. A lot of credit has to be given to Andrew Garfield in his portrayal as well as Gibson’s direction and the work of the screenwriters. Speaking of direction, this film has a fantastic battle sequence half way through. Utterly grotesque and incredibly engaging.

Will this win Best Picture? No I honestly do not think this has a chance. It is, however, a good way for Mel Gibson to find some sort of redemption after a long period of absence where he said a lot of awful things during, what seems to be, a mental breakdown.

Title: Lion
Director: Garth Davis
Year: 2016
Country: Australia

Lion is probably the most outsidiest of the outside chances in the Best Picture nominations. Honestly if I could bet money on a film not winning I would probably bet my life savings on this one. It’s a decent enough film (especially the first half), but not a film that should be on the Best Picture list.

In essence, we are watching a biographical film about a man who tries to refind his roots. As a 5 year old he was separated from his family by some 1600km and, after escaping numerous attempts to have people sell him into child sex slavery, ends up being adopted by a nice couple in Australia.

The end of this film sees him finding his mother again in a sequence that felt way too unbelievable (because it didn’t happen this way) in a third act that could have done with a little bit of editing. The first half of the film, where we are in India, just felt a lot tighter and a bit less indulgent than the adult half of the film.

I am not downplaying Dev Patel in his role as adult Saroo. He does a great job as a conflicted third-culture man struggling to find his roots. It’s just that by doing this film linearly rather than through flashbacks we don’t have any mystery about anything. In Columbo style we know all about his origins and the solution isn’t satisfying enough to warrant the lack of any real reveal.

Title: Fences
Director: Denzel Washington
Year: 2016
Country: USA

It is because of Fences that I was able to cram these three films into one post. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t really rate this film. The only thing that kept me watching and not walking out was Viola Davis (and the price of a cinema ticket). She was magnificent and if she does not win that Oscar then shame on them.

Seriously though. I know people that really thought this was a great film and thought that Denzel Washington was amazing as both actor and director. I am not one of those people. Well, I cannot argue that isn’t good in his role. There’s just too much of him.

When you watch Fences you are keenly aware that you are watching the adaptation of a play. No real attempt was made to translate it to the big screen in terms of editing or cinematography. Amadeus managed to do it as have many other films. Honestly this film was a slog.

Current Rankings
1) Manchester by the Sea
2) Arrival
3) Hell or High Water
4) Hacksaw Ridge
5) Hidden Figures
6) Lion
7) Fences

Oscar Bait – Hell or High Water / Manchester by the Sea

Title: Hell or High Water
Director: David Mackenzie
Year: 2016
Country: USA

It’s unusual for a film to have their main release in summer and still be considered once awards season rolls around. Obviously we have exceptions such as Boyhood and Mad Max: Fury Road, and this year we have a Western heist flick set in modern day USA.

Hell or High Water is one of those films that was a pleasant surprise. From the trailer and the promotional material this film looked like it had a bit of a No Country For Old Men vibe to it… and that was a film that I didn’t quite get (either I was too young or it just wasn’t for me).

I did, however, really enjoy Hell or High Water. I enjoy a film that dabbles in a bit of moral ambiguity and there are spades of it here. The entire film revolves around a series of bank robberies executed by brother Tanner and Toby (Ben Foster and Chris Pine) and their pursuit by two Texas Rangers (Gil Birmingham and an excellent Jeff Bridges).

The moral ambiguity is in their crime. The brothers aren’t just robbing any banks, they’re picking on the company that sold a bad mortgage to their mother that resulted in her bankruptcy. The money itself is to pay off debts so they can keep the ranch. Obviously it all goes horribly wrong, but in the beginning you can really see it from the brothers point of view.

The main thing I got from Hell or High Water (apart from the realisation that Chris Pine can actually act and looks gorgeous when he isn’t so well kempt) was just how the poor in the USA are kept poor by the very structures that could actually help them. There is a scene at the end where they describe how poverty has become a hereditary and contagious disease.

It’s a nice way to bookend the film, the other bookend being graffiti at the beginning of the film that reads something like “3 tours in Iraq and where is my bailout”. It really is little wonder that we have a Trump presidency…

Title: Manchester by the Sea
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Year: 2016
Country: USA

A depressed man is given the guardianship of his nephew after the sudden death of his brother. Add in a bit of cancer and something bordering on biography then you have the perfect Oscar bait film.

Yes I am that cynical. Yes I know that Manchester by the Sea has been playing critics like a fiddle (it has a score of 96% on Metacritic). However, this is a beautifully done film with a spellbinding performance from Casey Affleck. If you compare the performance here to Leonardo DiCaprio’s role of endurance in The Revenant… well, there’s no doubt in my mind that Affleck better shows what a great acting performance is.

The thing that I appreciated most about Manchester by the Sea was the sense of realism. You go into a film like this and you expect a certain ending. Since this will have been a film with the Academy Awards in mind you would definitely expect a certain ending. The thing is, those sorts of endings aren’t the only endings in the world and that’s okay.

I’m being vague in this write up because every detail and every reveal in this thoughtful drama just adds to the experience. With Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges both giving amazing performances as the uncle and nephew respectively (and an underused Michelle Williams, let’s not forget her).

So far, this takes top. Still got Moonlight and La La Land to come though.

Current Rankings
1) Manchester by the Sea
2) Arrival
3) Hell or High Water
4) Hidden Figures

Oscar Bait – Arrival / Hidden Figures

Last year I made sure to see as many films that had a sniff of Oscar about them in order to cover myself for whichever film won on the night. This year has been no exception and what a year it has been with 9 nominations making the cut.

For the first post collating my thoughts on the nominees I figured I might as well go for a theme: woman in science. It’s rare enough that you get a film with female leads as scientists… then poof two come along in a year.

Title: Arrival
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Year: 2016
Country: USA

Right so this opening paragraph needed a substantial edit considering the colossal snub by the Academy Awards. I know that I am biased when it comes to all things Amy Adams, since I think she is easily one of the great actors working today, but how on Earth could this film have received 8 nominations without one for her. I mean, I wouldn’t say she carries the film. No, she is the film. So yea, really not happy with the Academy right now.

Needless to say, I loved this film. I love a good sci-fi movie, especially when it takes a different perspective. With Arrival we have a movie about first contact with aliens where the lead character is a linguistics professor (Adams) that is roped in to discover the reason for the titular arrival… by working out how to communicate with the aliens.

I love the aliens in this. So often in films we have some sort of human-like biped, but here they actually go with something more along the lines of a squid combined with a tree trunk. Also, these are peaceful aliens. At no point are we led to believe that there is any malicious intent, in fact it’s us humans who make such assumptions (as we would probably do so).

The big selling point for me (other than Amy Adams) is the heavy use of linguistics in this film. It feels like a smart and very well researched story that actually imparts a lot of information about linguistics. Some of the ideas about language pretty much blew my mind, as did Villeneuve’s direction.

This film is already an early favourite of mine, I must say.

Title: Hidden Figures
Director: Theodore Melfi
Year: 2016
Country: USA

When you are about to sit and watch a film where the premise is to raise awareness of the forgotten(ish) African American woman that worked for NASA you tend to expect a certain sort of film: A film that’s cliched, heavy-handed and very message heavy. Not the case with Hidden Figures.

Okay sure, this is still very much a film about racism, but it tackles it in a way that I haven’t seen that often. It’s a film about systemic racism and not necessarily racist people. The thing is, it is also a film about systemic sexism. A lot of the problems that the three main characters face are down to both discriminatory factors, which does give this film a different slant.

I know precious little about the early NASA spaceflights. Most of what I know has been cobbled together from Wikipedia and The Right Stuff, so I learnt an awful lot from this film. Not in the least that Janelle Monae is actually a really good actress. I know she’s also done moonlight, but this is an impressive turn by her.

Speaking of impressive, Octavia Spencer is a treasure as always and Taraji P. Henson shows the amazing range she has as an actress. From Benjamin Button to Empire and now this very different role for her. I can see this being the film that ends up picking up a number of Best Cast awards because of the central three as well as the performances of Kevin Costner and Mahershala Ali.

Current Rankings
1) Arrival
2) Hidden Figures

🎻♫♪ – Motets by Guillaume Dufay

List Item: Listen to half of the 1001 Classical Works You Must Hear Before You Die
Progress: 10/501Title: Motets
Composer: Guillaume Dufay
Nationality: Franco-Flemish
Year: 1420-1447

Okay so two weeks ago I was full of love for Spotify because it houses so many recordings that I need for this list. However, on two of my playthroughs of the Huelgas Ensemble’s album of Dufay’s Motets there could have been more suitable adverts.

To describe what I mean I think I need to describe what a motet is. Essentially they are short vocal pieces with multiple voices singing independent parts (also known as polyphony). Since these ones are all sung in Latin you can’t help but think that they are singing something either fully religious or with a religious bent.

So imagine me listening to these at work and feeling somewhat relaxed and then suddenly an advert for this comes on. Talk about being yanked out of a comfortable choral blanket and back into the realities of current music.

As much as I know that Guillaume Dufay is an influential figure in Renaissance music, I am just counting down the entries until we reach music with some instruments. I never thought I would say this, but I want a piece of music with a harpsichord. I know I have long ways to go. I know this. It’s just that it feels like all I have been listening to for this so far are vocal harmonies which, although nice, sound very similar to my ear in training.

Let’s Get Literal – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

List Item: Read 100 of the greatest works of fiction
Progress: 34/100Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Year: 1868-9
Country: USA

I hate spoilers. I know that this is rich from someone who ends up writing them in their blog, but I (as a rule) hate spoilers. Why mention this now? Well, Friends ended up spoiling one of the central plot lines in this book. It actually meant I shed a few tears before it happened… but still the impact was lost. Bah!

Anyway. Little Women is one of those books that I think is read far more often in its native United States than over here. As in, I don’t think I know many (if any) people that have read it. When I mentioned at work I was reading this the look I got seemed to say “but you’re a grown man”. The phrase “so what” comes to mind considering that this appears at #38 on my top 100 list.

So what is it about? Well, Little Women is a coming of age story about the four March sisters: Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy. We start the series with all four sisters as children and we finish it 10 years later as some of them start to have children of their own (and so the circle becomes complete).

At the heart of this book are the relationships between the four sisters and their mother. Some male character so appear, such as their father and neighbour Laurie, but they feel somewhat peripheral to the central five women – especially in the first of this two volume book.

Due to the complexity in some of the sisters characterisations in comparison to others in the book it is rather apparent these are based on real people – namely Louisa May Alcott and her own three sisters. The character of Jo (who is easily the best character) is the author’s proxy within this world.

I say complexity because these girls do feel like real people. Amy, for example, really embodies that youngest sibling feel due to her being the more selfish of the bunch, but she is also the one who is most keen to perfect her artistic talents and is easily humbled when seeing the genius of others.

Jo is the archetypal tomboy of the sisters. She has a gift for writing and actually carves out a living for herself by selling her stories to journals and newspapers. She is ambitious and doesn’t want to conform with what society says a woman should be. Which leads me to the question I was asking myself as I was reading this: is Little Woman a feminist novel?

The answer: yes and no. For the time these strong and independently minded girls would have been incredibly inspirational. Two of them turn down marriage proposals from rich beaus, you have characters like Jo trying to make their own living and, on average, these girls are as tough as nails. In this way, yes these are fantastic role models for teenage girls.

The problem I had, however, was when marriage happened. Specifically many of the later chapters involving Meg and her husband John. So much of what made her a March sister is lost in this marriage and the advice that her mother gives her about looking after her husband (keep in mind Meg has twins to look after all day) made me cringe.

The thing I had to keep in mind is that this book was written in the mid-19th century. There is this pull towards feminism and independence that has to be filtered through what society expected of women at the time. What can, at times, feel like a rather shallow book has layers of depth (until that chapter about Meg’s kids… that made me roll my eyes on the train).

It’s a really good read and one that I would encourage young girls to read. It’s not a romantic book, but one about actually trying to make the best choices for you and being happy despite not having much or marrying into wealth. It’s like the anti-Kardashians and don’t we need more of that?

(✿◠‿◠) Anime!!! – Hunter x Hunter (2011)

List Item:  Watch the 100 best anime TV series
Progress: 14/100Title: Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Episodes Aired: 148
Episodes Watched: 148
Year(s): 2011-2014

There is a big part of me that wishes that I had decided to review this anime as I went along. It didn’t matter as much with the longer series Gintama as that didn’t exactly rely on separate story arcs. With Hunter x Hunter I have the issue where SO much has happened in the different story arcs. Still let’s make the best of it!

To say this was the anime series I was expecting would be a lie. From the title and the spiel I was expecting an anime more along the lines of Monster Rancher – a fairly light and comedic anime where they hunt and collect various beasties. NO! I was very wrong. There was a lot more depth and interest to be found in this.

Like with Fullmetal Alchemist this is not the first adaptationof the Hunter x Hunter manga. In fact, the 1999 adaptation currently resides in the lower section of the anime list. This is how beloved this series and its characters are amongst the anime-watching community – so it’s a good thing that I enjoyed it!

At the very centre of Hunter x Hunter are best friends Gon and Killua. It is the friendship between these two that grounds the entire series. As characters go Gon is pretty simple. He is the optimistic innocent in search of his (deadbeat) Hunter father. Then you have Killua, an initially emotionally damaged boy from a family of assassins who grows in emotional strength throughout the series’ run. He is the hands down favourite of all readers of the manga, for obvious reasons, as he is definitely the best.

No matter how far the series veers off track you are brought back to this gorgeous friendship. A lot of the emotional punches in this show comes from the moments where this relationship is tested. This is especially evident in the fantastic (if slightly long) Chimera Ants arc where Killua is no longer able to reach a broken, vengeful Gon.

The moment that this anime went away from my expectations as after the introduction of Nen – substitute magic powers – as a fighting ability. We suddenly get fight sequences that are varied and more in-depth than before. These powers can vary from an almost invisible elastic manifestation used by the incredibly twisted Hisoka (pictured) or something more simple like mind control activated by a kiss.

Yes, there is quite a bit of exposition parcelled out over the course of several episodes, but it’s all done with the peppy Hunter x Hunter music in the background and with such enthusiasm that you don’t really notice. Sure, I am still not entirely sure of the difference between Zetsu and Hatsu… but it doesn’t matter that much.

Considering the main powers in this are magic-based, like the shikai and bankai in Bleach, it is admirable that this show doesn’t keep on ramping up the power levels. There is no Dragonball Level 9000 – just people who are more naturally gifted at using Nen and those who work their socks off. There is also the acknowledgement that to get to ‘Level 9000’ you need to put in restrictions. Kurapika, for example, can use an ability that’s near instant death – but if he uses it on someone other than the 12 people he set out to hunt down his life is forfeit. It just makes it feel more real and less hurdled.

The thing that really has to be commended is the use of set pieces in this show. There are times where it does through some rather beautiful Nen powers – such as the golden dragon of Killua’s grandfather – but the one that struck me most was the use of Mozart’s Requiem when the Phantom Troupe stage a massacre. It’s all being conducted by their leader as he overlooks Yorknew City in a hotel suite.

Another beautiful set piece is done in near complete darkness at the end of the Chimera Ant arc. It’s done simply with flickers of fireflies and the voices of two opponents playing a board-game as they slowly succumb to poison.

Having finished Hunter x Hunter I do find myself suddenly bereft of the show I have been watching for the last 1-2 months. I still don’t feel up to the mammoth task of starting the 750+ episode behemoth of One Piece. I’m thinking something without fisticuffs like Your Lie in April, Major or the adaptation of Nodame Cantibile. Let’s just see how I feel on the morrow.

Level One – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

List Item: Play 100 of the greatest computer games
Progress: 61/100Title: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Developer: Konami
Original Platform: Playstation
Year: 1997

There is not a chance in hell that I would have played this when it originally came out. In 1997, I know that I had Supersonic Racers, Pandemonium, ESPN Extreme Games, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider (my mum played that one) and True Pinball. So it’s games that came with the PS1 bundle or ones that were a sure thing. I still cannot believe that PS1 games were £50 back in the day, I mean… wow.

Anyway, the point is that it wasn’t until relatively recently that the Castlevania series of games found their way into my sphere of relevance. There sure are a lot of these games in the Top 1000 from Play That Game so I don’t know under what rock I was living.

Seeing how we are 20 years later it makes sense that the original is hard to come by. However, there is a version on the Playstation Store for £8. I was going to buy this, but the store wouldn’t allow me. Apparently since the last thing I bought was on the PS4 it was demanding that I gave details of the last card I used… which had expired 2 years previously. I get security measures, but that’s so stupid. I eventually sorted this out, but it took me so long and got me so mad that I don’t think I’ll be buying anything from their store in a good while.

Needless to say, you can play this game online. Also there are plenty of Let’s Play videos on YouTube. So a mixture of these gave me enough exposure to tick this off.

In many ways this feels like Super Metroid if it had been designed by Bram Stoker. So instead of missiles and freeze rays you can turn into mist or a bat. There is also the option of familiars which is really cool!

Whilst there is a lot of freedom in exploring the games (with a lot of limiters to make sure you don’t get to places without being too low levelled) the main issue I have with this game is the travelling. Oh the travelling between areas. Sure, some shortcuts unlock with more relics, but it gets a bit old.

One thing you cannot fault this game on is atmosphere. Like how you delve into your character’s nightmare to watch his mother being crucified. I mean… that’s so incredibly dark. You also have a giant eyeball looking through windows randomly and some pretty damned gothic music.

It’s a fantastic exploration platformer and, you’ll be glad to know, that my experience was so positive that I did end up forgiving the Playstation Store for their security sins and actually bought it. Helped that it was on sale. Wee!

And So I Started A Podcast

List item: Start a podcast
Status: Completed

So for a long time my hub and I have been wanting to try out making a podcast. By a long time I mean YEARS. The virtue of writing these posts about 5 months in advance (see how my lead is being eroded) is that by the time this is published not only will there be a number of episodes, but also we will have gotten better used to it.

That is until we cancelled it at the end of December. We ended up making 19 episodes and had minimal listeners. I mean if you struggle with getting your friends to give your podcast a go then clearly you are doing something wrong.

As you will get from the graphic – the idea was that we would podcast our way through the 1001 TV Shows list. We started off with Breaking Bad and now that I listen to it months later and knowing how much easier this became… it’s not a good episode.

But I have to say that later episodes have been really fun and we actually work well being more loosey goosey and less rigid like we started. Something that I think we started doing better a few episodes in, which culminated in my not being able to stop laughing whilst making an episode centred on The Prisoner.

We are still available on iTunes if you search for Just Watch It. Or you can go to the website www.justwatchit.uk if you want to give it a go.