Gogglebox

Though Tatler is not the place one would usually expect to find television recommendations, I was pushed to watch this television titan whilst perusing the latest edition that I stumbled upon Steph and Dom, AKA the posh couple from Gogglebox.

After another recommendation by my friend from Devon I gave the show a try, and was rather delighted. My parents were horrified when I explained the concept, after all the idea of watching other people watch TV sounds horrifically meta and unbelievably dull.

However conceptually this show is genius, in Britain we manage to squeeze in, on average, around four hours of television every day, and as such many television events have a tendency to unite the nation.

From a purely voyeuristic point of view, Gogglebox offers a fantastic way to see how the other half lives, especially politically, it is fascinating to see how people of various socio-economic backgrounds react to the leadership debates, and it provided an interesting window into how people other than me think.

Gogglebox is undoubtedly the realist of reality shows, it lacks the soap opera flashiness of Keeping up with the Kardashians or Made in Chelsea, and its storyline, rather than needing to be created in the editing suite, is instead guided by the weeks television.

Its other strength is that it airs at the end of the week, and is filmed essentially in real time, so when it airs, many of the events shown have just happened, this is perhaps one of the most current reality television shows, it is particularly useful for me, because as I work in news, I don't have the luxury of burying my head in the sand. Watching Gogglebox allows me to know whats happening on TV, without having to sit through the entire Corrie omnibus.

Whilst conceptually Gogglebox should be a failure, it's possibly one of the most entertaining shows on television today, and is a fascinating look at British couch potato culture.

The Philosophers Stone

Yes, i will be using the original novels english title as the title of this post, sorry sorcerers stone, you just don't cut it. This post will be the first in a series of seven posts, where i will review the first seven Harry Potter films in order of their release (i already reviewed the eight, and my review can be found HERE).

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone was released in 2001 and kick started what would go on to become the highest grossing franchise of all time with over $7.7 billion in box office receipts. The film introduced the three lead child actors who would later incarnate these characters for the remainder of the series. The three actors were incredibly young, and their lack of comfort with acting on a film set is noticeable mainly in this film.The film set a precedent for the British film industry, as JK Rowling insisted that the entirety of the cast be either British or Irish, and that the films be made in their entirety in Britain. Despite the film having an American director, Chris Columbus, the films are inherently British in their execution, and they remain unusually faithful to the source material.

The film was instrumental in the success of the rest of the trilogy, Columbus was responsible for establishing the look of the wizarding world, the layout and appearance of Hogwarts and the feel of the school, an inherently difficult task, as the books set no precedent for the appearance of this magical castle, and it is an environment that every fan of the books has imagined over and over in their minds, Columbus is successful in crafting a magical environment which is grand and impressive without appearing ominous or brooding. Hogwarts is simply an architectural masterpiece.

The casting of the film is also superb, and the use of Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltraine and Alan Rickman is of huge benefit to this adaptation, the young and inexperienced thespians may struggle and lack charisma, but with such a fine cast supporting them, the film just about manages to limp along. Although Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a reasonably successful and certainly faithful adaptation of the source novel, the whole spectacle is a little bland for my liking, and the film lacks character or spectacle. Nonetheless the film acts as a successful springboard, and provides the appropriate elements for later adaptations to use to a greater effect. Rating: B-

Hagrid: You're a wizard, Harry!