Set course for the off-licence

As you know, I have been trying out Blu-Ray discs now for a little while, and I have mentioned previously how the big advantage of blu-ray is that the production values (or lack thereof) become as much of a draw as the story. A few months on, it's clear that you have to be careful with blu-ray because not all transfers are the same. They all have improved picture and sound over DVDs, but the degree of improvement over an upscaled DVD is variable. Some are technically fantastic while others are a bit average. For example, the second attempt to produce a good transfer of T2 is due out soon, and that is supposed to be up to 40 per cent better according to some (optically speaking). Some of them also have a lot of what is supposed to be 'natural film grain' (ie they flicker in an annoying fashion in the odd scene or two) So beware.

Nevertheless, even the more average transfers produce some gems. I recently acquired 'The Wrath of Khan' on blu-ray which is over 25 years old, but still knocks spots off what passes for plots, cool dialogue, arch villains and twisty plot turns in most modern films. Altogether now: KHHHAAAAAANNNNNNN....

I digress. Anyway, without watching particularly closely, courtesy of blu-ray you can see a sign on the bridge in the opening simulator sequence which quite clearly says "NO SMOKING ON THE BRIDGE AT ANY TIME". Now I don't actually recall anyone lighting up in Star Trek, but I suppose it's possible Mr Sulu had a 20-a-day habit. On the other hand, the sign doesn't say "ON THE SET" so it doesn't look like a stage direction that was accidentially left up when the cameras were running.

So, what's the answer? Apparently, it's deliberate, because Nick Meyer (the director) liked to give the ST films he did a certain 'real life' grounding (er..). Frankly though, I don't care. I just love the fact that blu-ray allows me to watch films all over again and get something new out of them, even if it's idiotic things like this.

(By the way:

- you still can't tell whether Ricardo Montalban's chest is fake. Apparently it's not, but I remain to be convinced; and

- nice to see he still gets work off the back of the film, even if it is only evidenced by a sly reference to 'the death of his beloved wife' in a recent episode of 'Family Guy' where he played a talking cow.)

Lost

Tonight the fifth series finale of Lost airs on Sky. As most readers know, I am a big fan of Lost, and whilst waiting for it to come on, I thought I would try and explain why it falls into the category of can't miss TV.

It wasn't always can't miss. The first couple of seasons and a large chunk of the third meandered along, setting up vast numbers (no pun intended) of sub-plots and characters, and for every answer given, about 10 questions were raised. It was too ambitious and too complicated. In fact, at one point in the second season, I struggled to keep going. These episodes are still worth watching, but waiting a week or so for each episode which was punctuated by waaaay too many adverts was not the best telly.

Four things happened however which combined to turn everything that had gone before into the backdrop for compulsive telly viewing. Firstly, abc studio execs finally turned round mid-way through the third season and (it seems) collectively said "what the HELL is going on?" to the writers. Secondly, the 2008 writers strike gave the production team time to pause and reflect on where this was all going, and thirdly, the production team agreed on the series ending after 6 seasons.

The main thing which saved the series however was some remarkably good casting decisions. The series started with a firm lead character (Jack) who led the survivors of a plane crash around an island. As time has gone by though, other supporting characters have come to the fore purely off the back of the actors' efforts to bring them to life. Frankly, they made Jack look a bit dull, and to their credit, everyone involved seems to have let the show develop to take this into account. For example, Ben Linus, Desmond, Sayid and Hurley are four characters without whom you can't imagine this show being as successful as it is.

All these things turned the series into a real must-watch thrill-ride from about the middle of season four onwards, but one with a fantastically complex back-drop to work from. 'The Constant' in series four drew on material from around a dozen previous episodes, resolved one major question and sets up most of the fifth series. MeWife won't remember any of that until we rewatch the entire series after the end of series 6, mind.

There are so few telly programmes these days which you can call 'must-see' AND which you'd want to watch again, and maybe that is also a reason I bang on about Lost. 24, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Boston Legal, Doctor Who - they're all good, but not much in any of them lives on from series to series. This show on the other hand is building towards an almighty finale in about a year's time. And you don't get many of those in your telly-viewing lifetimes.

The Battle of Hastings (via the A21)

Now I quite like going to the seaside for a day out every now and again, and this Bank Holiday Monday the BBC weather site reported that a number of southern coastal towns were going to have 'sunny weather'. So off we set, not a care in the world, car packed with buckets, spades, change, snickers bars, biscuits, children, wife, etc. What could possibly go wrong?

Not for the first time, quite a lot. For a start, the BBC weather website content was clearly based on the weather from circa the ICE AGE, with cold blustry grey skies setting in about 3 hours early. However, the real PITA factor was the lack of any advance warning that the entire motorbiking population of the UK take their two-wheeled death machines to Hastings and back on the first BHM in May, hitting the A21 around 10.30am. As did we.

I kid you not, there must have been a thousand bikes on the stretch between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Bonkers. A lot of them were weaving in and out of the traffic, but really the sheer volume was staggering. Kent Police's massive operational presence consisted of a couple of parked up camera vans, 2 cars and about 3 bikes spread over about 10 miles. Newsflash Kent cops: if there'd been a major accident, you guys would have been in breach of your statutory duties.

Advance warning? Well, yesterday a helpfully cryptic electronic 'THINK BIKE' sign appeared near TW. But that was it. I can tell you, I thought a lot of things today, but 'bike' wasn't on the list. A slightly more useful message might have been 'Hastings Bike Run Tomorrow - Avoid A21 10-11am' but of course, that requires someone with a brain to have programmed the board.

This is apparently a well-known event in biker circles, as an impromptu trip to a biker forum or two on my mobile informed me whilst munching my fish and chips in Bexhill-on-Sea. Quite why the police don't give a monkey's is beyond me, since the speed, volume and nuttiness of the bikers was a recipe for disaster if the weather turned nasty. We saw at least one nearly lose it. We also saw a rather odd collection of mono-eybrowed types lining the road and waving (union jacks) at the bikers as they went past. As past-times go on a BHM, I can't see the attraction unless you're hoping an accident is going to happen.

The only real advantages of this entire fiasco was that it demonstrated to my eldest once and for all why the second lesson her Daddy ever taught her was 'motorbikes are pants'.

(The first lesson I taught her, by the way, was 'pussycats don't go moo', but that's a different story..)