posted "A marvelous re-creation of mid-Victorian music halls, with Tommy Trinder. "Hit Him on the Boko"" about Champagne Charlie.   October 02, 2011

A marvelous re-creation of mid-Victorian …
Nostalgia is everything it's cracked up to be in Champagne Charlie, a valentine from Ealing Studios and Alberto Cavalcanti to English music halls. …

posted "Kenneth More does his best, and so do all those great British character actors" about Brandy for the Parson.   August 12, 2011

Kenneth More does his best, and so do al …
Sing their names with praise: The Titfield Thunderbolt, Whisky Galore, The Lavender Hill Mob, Passport to Pimlico, The Man in the White Suit. These an …

posted ""Scary biscuits!" says a character after a murder in a bath tub. Thank goodness we have Diana Rigg." about Mrs. Bradley Mysteries Set.   June 17, 2011

"Scary biscuits!" says a character after …
"The countryside? A place where the birds and animals wander about uncooked."      That's Mrs. Adela Bradley speakin …

posted "A merciless satire of British class snobbery and Oxbridge traditions" about Porterhouse Blue.   May 21, 2011

A merciless satire of British class snob …
The master has just died...of a Porterhouse Blue. That is, of a stroke brought on by overindulgence. Long tradition insists that the masters of Porter …

unlocked the Cracking Review, Gromit! badge   May 14, 2011

posted "And on a book shelf, Fromage to Eternity" about Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.   May 14, 2011

And on a book shelf, Fromage to Eternity
That cheese-loving, dim-witted inventor Wallace and his long-suffering, resourceful mutt Gromit made a great transition from 30 minute shorts to an 85 …

posted "Social pretensions and sly undertakings" about Mapp and Lucia TV.   April 26, 2011

Social pretensions and sly undertakings
Here are the ingredients: It's the early Thirties in the small English seaside town of Tilling. The doyen of Tilling society is Miss Elizabeth Map …

posted "Sidney Stratton and his superior suits" about The Man in the White Suit (1952).   April 24, 2011

Sidney Stratton and his superior suits
"Now that calm and sanity have returned to the textile industry, I find it my duty to reveal something of the true story behind the recent crisis …

posted "Murder, a brass monkey and a teen who plays Flight of the Bumble Bee on her accordion" about Brass Monkey.   April 19, 2011

Murder, a brass monkey and a teen who pl …
There is an awful charm about this movie from 1948. I thought it couldn't get worse or cornier...and then it did.       T …

posted ""Come come, Matron. Surely you've seen a temperature taken like this before?"" about Carry on Nurse.   April 12, 2011

"Come come, Matron. Surely you've seen a …
The next time you're in your hospital bed and two nurses walk in with a long-stemmed daffodil, do not under any circumstance roll over on your sto …

posted "One of the charming Ealing comedies, where the star is the old Thunderbolt steam engine" about The Titfield Thunderbolt.   April 04, 2011

One of the charming Ealing comedies, whe …
Of the great British comedies that came out in the late Forties and early Fifties, one of my favorites is The Titfield Thunderbolt. There's no her …

posted ""That's Dr. Ellingham, if you please, and what's all this moaning about a little diarrhea?"" about Doc Martin.   March 29, 2011

"That's Dr. Ellingham, if you please, an …
Curmudgeons, if blessed with good writers, can be satisfying house guests. They're irascible, oblivious, often insulting (sometimes unintentionall …

posted "I. Carmichael at his most innocent; T-Thomas at his most unctuous; A. Sim at his most simish" about School for Soundrels (1960).   March 29, 2011

I. Carmichael at his most innocent; T-Th …
"Oh, hard cheese, old chap!"       School for Scoundrels, that cheery, malicious British comedy of one-upmanship, w …