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Post by kimalysong on Jul 18, 2016 13:48:29 GMT
Speaking of Versailles I should mention our Alex is in the final 8 of the Radio Times Drama Champion Poll. If he wins this time round he will be up against a Doctor (probably the 10th) next. www.radiotimes.com/dramachampion2016It's a very tough round so I appreciate anyone who would lend Alex some votes. Note you can vote as many times as possible (and if you are going to vote for the other side please don't vote...J/K ) Edit: But note even though I am a fan of many of the actors in this poll I am voting for Alex all the way through. For one thing its great to see so many people not familiar with Alex wonder who he is because he has been doing great in this competition. So spread some love for Vlavla please!
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Post by Trace on Jul 19, 2016 1:48:34 GMT
VOTED!!! Will do so again!!!
Kim, are you watching your DVD of Versailles? If I recall correctly, it's not airing here in the States until October, correct? I still want to buy it, but will probably wait until it's released on Region 1 or 0....I do have a Region-Free player somewhere in storage if I absolutely need to dig it out.
Going to listen to Human Remains now!
Ciao!
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Post by Trace on Jul 19, 2016 1:51:26 GMT
Hmmm....I don't think I caught it. Does it have anything to do with the Alyssa that I asked about? I don't remember there ever being an Alyssa.... She's a character in story 6 The Abysmal Sea and played by Yasmin Bannerman. Ah yes right!!! Thank you!
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Post by kimalysong on Jul 19, 2016 2:11:04 GMT
VOTED!!! Will do so again!!! Kim, are you watching your DVD of Versailles? If I recall correctly, it's not airing here in the States until October, correct? I still want to buy it, but will probably wait until it's released on Region 1 or 0....I do have a Region-Free player somewhere in storage if I absolutely need to dig it out. Going to listen to Human Remains now! Ciao! October yes and it's also coming to Netflix a little after that. I havent watched if recently been too busy. I need to watch it again. At least episodes 4-10. Those are the episodes that hooked me. Thanks for your vote. Please keep voting if you can!
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Post by Trace on Jul 21, 2016 5:28:54 GMT
I loved Human Remains! True, Dorian is not at his most charming here, but admittedly, he's quite high on Tramadol ("opiates" as he calls them...although they're actually synthetic opioids.). Mostly, I thought he was funny, and because Alex plays Dorian so well, he never quite crosses the line. He always seems to maintain just enough charm to be someone we can't help liking!
Flo is a GREAT character, and so is the 'beautiful' monster! Great little twist when we find out just what it is!!! Lots of humor in this story, but really quite scary at times!
More, please!
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Post by kimalysong on Jul 25, 2016 1:35:37 GMT
Ah Human Remains some things really worked for and some things didn't The appendix monster is one thing that didn't entirely work for me. Although I definitely give it tons of points for originality. I personally never saw a monster like that before. I suppose it's not something that would work visually so I think it's great for the audio medium. Also I wasn't a fan of "racist Dorian" either. Sure I agree Dorian is not very nice and he has done tons of wicked things but I don't know; racism seems kind of provincial for him when he has traveled all over the world. But then again people are going to have different interpretations of the character. And yes he was high on drugs. Speaking of drugs, Dorian high on pain killers was absolutely hilarious. I also love how the story kind of made fun of the narration. I love the narration in this range which gives the stories a unique perspective through Dorian's own eyes. However, I also love when a series can laugh at itself (the extras for this story were also hilarious). And finally yes Flo was such an awesome character. Probably my favorite part was when she told Dorian off for making assumptions about her life. It shows that even though Dorian is immortal, there are still many things he can learn from others. And now lets move onto the 1920's with His Dying Breath by George Mann.
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Post by elkawho on Jul 25, 2016 2:33:37 GMT
I am right now listening to the extras for this collection and I had a great time listening to them talk about the narration. Now I will always think of Dorian doing the narration without a shirt.
The story itself has some great ideas but for some reason it doesn't all come together as well for me as most others. I can't visualize the monster, and that is a problem.
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Post by kimalysong on Jul 28, 2016 17:54:23 GMT
Interrupting the group listen to say Congratulations to Alex who just got engaged to his girlfriend Kajsa. So happy for them both!
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Post by Trace on Jul 28, 2016 21:53:51 GMT
Interrupting the group listen to say Congratulations to Alex who just got engaged to his girlfriend Kajsa. So happy for them both! Wonderful news! Congratulations to Alex, and best wishes to Kajsa! (I'm an old-fashioned stickler for proper Emily Post etiquette!)
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Post by Trace on Jul 31, 2016 16:55:40 GMT
His Dying Breath is a return to the horror that this range does so well. Very little humor in this story...what little there is really takes a backseat to the suspense-filled, sexually-charged horror story. I like this side of Dorian--while he may not be head over heels for Eva, he clearly cares enough to want answers, and either justice or vengeance.
1929 seems like a perfect year for Dorian. The war behind him, it was a time when hedonism was back in full force, and London WAS the place to be if you were Bohemian, pan-sexual, and a bit wild! These elaborate dress parties held by the Bright Young Things where it wasn't unusual to see orgies, everyone jump into the pool naked or snorting/smoking just about anything--in order to engage in every manner of carnal pleasure, or deep, philosophical, passionate conversations about absolutely nothing. Yes Dorian fits well here!
The creature here is scary, as is the setup. I found a lot of similarities between this story and The Creeping Fog from the Dark Shadows range. While it may seem somewhat obvious who the villain of the piece is going to be, His Dying Breath delivers the obvious with a very neat twist...of lemon, that is--and just a splash of bitters! Clothes off! Last one in the pool buys the next round!
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Post by kimalysong on Jul 31, 2016 19:03:17 GMT
A sold story and I love this era. I always imagine Eva as my favorite flapper girl Colleen Moore.
As for the story I do kind of wish Dorian was more indirectly responsible for what happens to Eva. I think that would have made the story more powerful than the jealous boyfriend aspect but I do love the ending of this one. I think in most stories the protagonist would have saved Billy Fielding. He would have gone to jail and lived with the terrible things he had done, etc. But no Dorian goes fill out revenge knowing exactly what that creature would do. Does Billy deserve it...well yes otherwise he wouldn't be attacked by the creature. But it shows Dorian's cruelty but that's what makes him a great character. He is cruel and not heroic. And the important thing to remember is the creature went after him too although we never know the specific things he did, we can imagine. In the end though Dorian gets rid of the bottle showing that he is not entirely cruel and doesn't want to make anyone else who may deserve it the future suffer. Dorian himself said his younger self would have done differently.
Actually I find the year this story is set interesting it's 1929, certainly I would argue it's the end of the good times and the world enters a major depression and then a World War. Is Eva's death the start of a downfall for Dorian?
Still feel free to add your thoughts to this story but I am also opening the discussion to Banshee by Xanna Eve Chown. Besides the series premiere This World Our Hell this is one of the earliest set stories for Dorian. It's certainly interesting to see how Dorian has changed over the years?
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Post by Trace on Aug 4, 2016 1:22:32 GMT
Listened to Banshee last night and remembered how much I loved it the first time. An old house, screaming ghosts, a wonderful turn by Jacqueline King as Mrs. O'Tubridy....with about 10 minutes left to go, I received a phone call that took me out of the moment and it also left me with a real life issue that needed all my attention to find the solution. Needless to say, my heart and mind were not on the final 10 minutes when I got back to it, and I couldn't tell you how it ended if I tried! Going back for another listen and will report back then!
(I hate it when my Dorian Gray moment gets interrupted!)
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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 4, 2016 9:11:11 GMT
I've listened to this twice now and love the atmosphere. I have to admit though that I'm still confused by the ending. I must have missed something both times because I still don't understand why Dorian did what he did - I think I need to listen again (at a time when I can concentrate more ). Cheers Tony
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Post by kimalysong on Aug 6, 2016 9:30:42 GMT
I've listened to this twice now and love the atmosphere. I have to admit though that I'm still confused by the ending. I must have missed something both times because I still don't understand why Dorian did what he did - I think I need to listen again (at a time when I can concentrate more ). Cheers Tony I think bad things would have continued to happen if Dorian didn't; at least that was my understanding. The Banshee needed someone to die from that family and the Banshee couldn't kill Mrs O'Tubridy who sadly was the last living member of her family (the relative abroad was not the relative by blood). Anyways this was a nice haunted house story with a more mythic flare. I never really relistened to this one before so it was a pleasant surprise. I especially loved the Irish setting and the music was lovely and fitting. Although it did get me thinking about Robert. He's kind of the annoying character who doesn't see the truth in front of me. But these type of characters always make me think how would I or most people react if they suddenly came about something supernatural. Would our minds be open or would we try to dig for a realistic explanation? And Trace I know getting interrupted from listening to Big Finish is always a major annoyance. I hope you will get to listen to it again soon.
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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 6, 2016 14:05:55 GMT
]I think bad things would have continued to happen if Dorian didn't; at least that was my understanding. The Banshee needed someone to die from that family and the Banshee couldn't kill Mrs O'Tubridy who sadly was the last living member of her family (the relative abroad was not the relative by blood). That was my thought, but I couldn't work out why the Banshee would want to lose the last remaining member of the family... Unless she/it could rest when there weren't any more? Cheers Tony
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Post by Trace on Aug 8, 2016 4:04:54 GMT
Listened to Banshee last night and remembered how much I loved it the first time. An old house, screaming ghosts, a wonderful turn by Jacqueline King as Mrs. O'Tubridy....with about 10 minutes left to go, I received a phone call that took me out of the moment and it also left me with a real life issue that needed all my attention to find the solution. Needless to say, my heart and mind were not on the final 10 minutes when I got back to it, and I couldn't tell you how it ended if I tried! Going back for another listen and will report back then! (I hate it when my Dorian Gray moment gets interrupted!) There!! Got to finish (and enjoy) Banshee. I actually started over and I'm glad I did. I mentioned Ms. King as Mrs. O'Tubridy, but I also have to say how much I enjoyed Bruno Langley as Robert Mardling. He comes off as a rather pompous bore, but all in all, not a bad person. Loved the descriptions of the bog overtaking the house! That's so creepy and reminds me of one of the settings in the Anne Rice novel, The Witching Hour. In that one, the swamp has slowly overtaken the old mansion, and with the entire first floor under water (like in Venice, Italy), the family has been living on the second floor only, fighting the dampness, mildew, and smell. They kept a canoe or small rowboat (I don't recall which) tied at the bottom of the flight of stairs (in the foyer or main hall) and they would set sail out the front door of the mansion, into the swamp whenever it was time to get back to civilization and dry land in order to stock up on necessary items. It's just such a fantastic setting and Anne Rice's descriptions are always so vivid. I felt that a bit here too. I agree with Kim's assessment...Dorian basically did what he had to do because it would finally quiet the Banshee and save them all from further haunting. Oh...and the name "Mrs. O'Tubridy"--love the way that one rolls off the tongue. Brilliant!
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Post by kimalysong on Aug 8, 2016 19:43:32 GMT
And now that it is Monday lets move onto The Abysmal Sea by David Llewellyn. Curious what people thought of this one and the relationship Dorian has in this episode. Well technically it is the end but it's what came before that interests me the most.
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Post by elkawho on Aug 9, 2016 0:00:17 GMT
Ok, so I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to post. Banshee: I love it. And yes, Trace, Robert does come off as a pompous bore, which is why I found it hard to understand why Dorian ended up in this situation. He can usually spot a pompous bore a mile away.
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Post by Trace on Aug 9, 2016 2:58:43 GMT
Ok, so I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to post. Banshee: I love it. And yes, Trace , Robert does come off as a pompous bore, which is why I found it hard to understand why Dorian ended up in this situation. He can usually spot a pompous bore a mile away. I think he did recognize it pretty early on, but he said something about trying to avoid the fallout from a recent scandal (I assume some wild party with Dorian and the Bright Young Things jumping into a public fountain naked). Even though Robert was a bore, his situation gave Dorian the perfect escape he needed in order to get away from the repercussions on his indiscretion!
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Post by omega on Aug 9, 2016 5:04:51 GMT
Ok, so I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to post. Banshee: I love it. And yes, Trace , Robert does come off as a pompous bore, which is why I found it hard to understand why Dorian ended up in this situation. He can usually spot a pompous bore a mile away. I think he did recognize it pretty early on, but he said something about trying to avoid the fallout from a recent scandal (I assume some wild party with Dorian and the Bright Young Things jumping into a public fountain naked). Even though Robert was a bore, his situation gave Dorian the perfect escape he needed in order to get away from the repercussions on his indiscretion! Dorian has also only been around Robert when the latter was in his element with plenty of alcohol to dull the senses. It was only when both were forcefully sober and in a confined space that Robert's pomposity became unbearable (think annoying siblings on a car trip or someone sitting next to you on a full bus/train who insists on deafening themselves by playing the music on their phones loudly).
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