Entertainment – Lee J. Russell, Author

‘As You Like It’ – RSC production 17/4/19…

I totally loved the RSC production of ‘As You Like It’ tonight – it was funny, entertaining and thoughtful. Excellent emotional acting and a great experience! Surprised I wasn’t hit by Sandra for laughing at this line: “Do you not know I am a woman? When I think, I must speak.” – Rosalind, Act 3Continue reading “‘As You Like It’ – RSC production 17/4/19…”

‘All About Eve’ – NT Live, 11/4/19

I enjoyed watching “All About Eve” livestreamed to Vue from the National Theatre last night. Based on the 1950 film and Mary Orr’s play ‘The Wisdom of Eve’, this was a gripping experience! Gillian Anderson (of ‘X-files’ fame, remember that one?) plays Margo Channing, an actress feeling the years tugging at her heels. Lily JamesContinue reading “‘All About Eve’ – NT Live, 11/4/19”

Netflix – making great stories and strongly disrupting traditional entertainment media…

Netflix has profoundly changed how we consume visual entertainment in our homes. Founded in 1997, the company has rapidly expanded from an online DVD rental store into a market-dominating internet streaming service, distributing mainstream TV programs and Movies, as well as a growing portfolio of ‘Netflix Originals’. ‘Netflix Original’ films are either produced, co-produced, orContinue reading “Netflix – making great stories and strongly disrupting traditional entertainment media…”

Which Star Trek movie starring the Original Crew is the best?

Well, that’s a divisive question! I enjoy all aspects of the Star Trek universe from The Original Series (TOS), The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9 – this features one of my favourite episodes of all time, from any series of any program – “Duet” from series 1), Enterprise, The Animated Series, Voyager. TodayContinue reading “Which Star Trek movie starring the Original Crew is the best?”

Why Blake’s 7 remains relevant today, 40 years after it was first broadcast on BBC1…

In the world of Dr Who, there are fixed points in Space-Time where events have such deep effects on the timeline of the Universe that they must not be altered, for fear of damaging reality itself. In our real-world lives I believe there are similar events that become fixed anchors in our personal timelines; theseContinue reading “Why Blake’s 7 remains relevant today, 40 years after it was first broadcast on BBC1…”

If I could only keep 1 singer from the ’80s it would be…

Imagine that a weird time accident happened and all the singers from the ’80s never performed a single a note… except for one… who would you keep? Sometimes you could be forgiven for thinking that the entire decade only spawned 10-15 good songs, but the reality is that it was a really vibrant period forContinue reading “If I could only keep 1 singer from the ’80s it would be…”

Space 1999: the problem with Victor Bergman…

When I was a boy I really enjoyed watching the TV series ‘Space 1999’. I was fascinated by space exploration and the ‘realism’ of an Anderson creation featuring real people made a strong impression on me. At that time creating a moonbase seemed like an obvious next step towards mankind stepping out properly into spaceContinue reading “Space 1999: the problem with Victor Bergman…”

“Spectral” – Netflix (2016)…

Just finished watching ‘Spectral’ on Netflix – yep, it’s a 2016 movie that I just got around to watching. That’s actually pretty up to date for me, I’m usually 5-10 years behind! An ‘OK’ hokum entertainer of pseudo-baffle ‘science’ lashed together with soldier-dudes and plenty of gun play. Don’t let that mislead you though… asContinue reading ““Spectral” – Netflix (2016)…”

Are “Ghost in the Shell” and “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” the perfect anime?

I’m not an expert on manga and anime, but there is something captivating about both of these stories. They are set in the fictional mid-21st Century Japanese city of Niihama, where a law enforcement agency called ‘Public Security Section 9’ are conducting counter-terrorism operations. So far, so normal, in our modern day world. But thisContinue reading “Are “Ghost in the Shell” and “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” the perfect anime?”

Falling in love with “Red Dwarf”…

It was around 2003 or 2004 when I fell in love with the British sci-fi comedy show “Red Dwarf”. I had been somewhat aware of the series when it launched in 1988 but the external model shots looked so unrealistic that I didn’t bother to try it… what a mistake! My epiphany came late oneContinue reading “Falling in love with “Red Dwarf”…”