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Blackpool + Viva Blackpool 3 Disc Set


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Editorial
Synopsis

BLACKPOOL is a crime thriller like no other. It’s a musical, though every bit as bold and edgy as similarly-themed shows. Set and around the city of the title, BLACKPOOL centres on arcade owner Ripley Holden. Is a man with grand allusions and so driven in business, he neglects his family. His wife Natalie seems to be drawing attention from elsewhere and his daughter Shyanne seems to fall victim to her taste in men. As he desperately tries to balance his professional and personal lives, it’s always in the hope that the big time is just around the corner, but for Ripley, something a lot more troublesome awaits. When a dead body is found in his most prestigious arcade, Ripley finds himself chief suspect in a murder investigation.


Blackpool
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

This was one of the best drama serials I have seen in a long time. It has a fresh approach to drama, viewed through the different songs, some good comedy moments and great acting from David Tennant, David Morrissey and Sarah Parish. These are the people who make drama great.

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Reviews


"A MUST BUY FOR DAVID TENNANT FANS"
Review date: 2008-03-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I am a big David Tennant fan and if you love David like me then you must buy Blackpool, he is brilliant in this and absolutely gorgeous. I thought i would probably be buying Blackpool just cause he was in it but i loved it, it's very funny and David Morrisey is superb too. The music is great I have just brought the cd as well. So a BIG reccomendation go and buy!

Disappointing Execution of a Great Idea
Review date: 2008-02-06 Rating: 4 out of 10

I was deeply disappointed by Blackpool. I have not yet watched Viva Blackpool, so my review is based solely on the original series. There were some fine ideas but in my opinion they were poorly executed and the end result was unsatisfactory. The last episode was a lot better than the rest in the way it used its ideas but by then I was already deeply disappointed.

As someone who really loves Bollywood films, I was really intrigued by the idea of having songs in a drama. However, the placement of the songs was very ill-timed in the majority- ruining moments of tension and drama by having the characters bursting into songs which also didn't seem to make a lot of sense in context. I am aware that there is a commentary explaining why certain songs were chosen but my feeling is that if you need something in the artistic forum explained to you then it has failed in its goal. Bollywood films introduce songs at moments of contemplation, not at key plot moments, disrupting the flow of the story. Having Carlisle and Ripley's wife burst into song at the moment they went to bed was cringe-makingly awful in particular. Another bad moment that sticks in my mind is the moment where Carlisle realises that Natalie knows who he is. The opposite moment, where Natalie enters the police station was very well-played but the dramatic impetus was completely ruined by it taking place in the middle of the song. In that scene there was no sense of recognition that he had been busted.

Aside from that, most of the characters were not just unlikeable but rather boring. No one really seemed to get fleshed out apart from Ripley and were all used as conduits to the story. Including (most fatally) Ripley's wife Natalie. There wasn't nearly enough backstory fleshed out to make the characters interesting. You found out that Carlisle was married but no real detail given as to what happened, to flesh him out. I actually couldn't understand WHY Carlisle would fall in love with her, she seemed so boring. It was only in the last episode that Danny became at all interesting and Shyanne was just a plot device to reveal Ripley's back story. I was rooting for Ripley they whole time and in the last episode, where he acted so compassionatly, I actually wanted Natalie to stay with him as he actually seemed like a much worthier person than hothead Carlisle.

Which leads me to my next criticism. I actually thought David was completely miscast in this. The role of Carlisle, the way it was written, needed to either be someone who was a good deal younger than Ripley and his wife, someone new to the force, with something to prove and a bit naive, gradually being corrupted by the experience or someone a little bit older, wizened and cynical. To his credit he did his absolute best and was very convincing but I don't think he was right for the part. Either that or Sarah Parrish wasn't right for her part. I find her rather passive as an actress and not someone who I can imagine in relationship dramas. I feel the same way about her in Mistresses too.I didn't sense any real chemistry between her and David Tennant at all.

All in all, a wonderful idea with so much potential that it didn't live up to.

It made me want to go to Blackpool!!!
Review date: 2007-12-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

Yes - it really did! This 3 disc set is fabulous. Well - let's say that 2 of the discs were fabulous and watching disc 3 was a struggle, even when trying to be objective (there should have been just a little back story used...it was too far removed from the original series).

I loved Blackpool when it was on TV but this DVD set brings the whole drama back to life...and it's something that I can watch again and again - and then go to the music sections to watch them over yet again!!! My personal favourite is "Don't Leave Me This Way" as I love how the song intertwines all of the main characters and their feelings at that moment...

Superb performances from all of the lead actors...and also the supporting cast, especially the slithering accountant and the ever orange police superintendant! David Morrisey, Sarah Parrish and David Tennant are all at the top of their game in this - and how many nightdresses does Sarah's character get through in all of those bedroom scenes??? Favourite scene, the little boy lost look on Carlisle's face when he believes he has lost the love of his life forever - priceless!

DVD set recommended for a girl's night in (we have had a few nights of watching - and more to come no doubt!) A terrific drama that stands out from the crowd.



All singing, all dancing great stuff!
Review date: 2007-10-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

I received this DVD from Amazon on Friday and watched it from start to finish on Saturday. I think I enjoyed watching it in one sitting far more than as a once-a-week series on television. David Morrissey is just brilliant as Ripley Holden, an absolute casting coup. The chemistry between David Tennant's and Sarah Parish's characters is electric, and I just love the song and dance routines the cast break in to periodically - they made me laugh out loud. It sounds like a bizarre concept (if you have not seen "The singing detective" or similar before, but it fits perfectly! An excellent supporting cast and fabulously gaudy sets make this a memorable and singular series. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Sarah Parish
Georgia Taylor
Keith Allen
David Tennant
David Morrissey

Creators:
David Tennant (Primary Contributor)
David Morrissey (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Cinema Club
Manufacturer: Cinema Club
EAN: 5014138306533
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-05-14
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 450 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)

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