A Fine Romance: Complete Collection

A Very Enjoyable Light, Romantic British Comedy!
Those who are familiar with As Time Goes By will already be familiar with the writing of Bob Larbey, who also wrote A Fine Romance, and those who've enjoyed As Time Goes By will almost certainly enjoy 1980's A Fine Romance. Though not so well known, this light romantic comedy about two mismatched 40-something lonely hearts bears all the hallmarks of Larbey's classic and engaging style of writing.

Briefly, Dame Judi Dench (As Time Goes By's Jean Pargetter) stars as Laura Dalton, a highly competent albeit somewhat shy, nervous and highly-strung translator with a tall, pretty, charming and very happily married younger sister named Helen, who only wants to see Laura as happy as she is. Helen and her husband Phil decide to team Laura up with Phil's friend Mike Selway, but it's a match made more out of desperation than a belief that the pair would be suitable companions. Mike (the late Michael Williams, Dame Judi's real-life husband of 30 years who died of cancer in 2001), is a...

Do you love "As Time Goes By"?
Then you MUST buy this complete series. It is different, but wonderful. Dame Judi and Bob Larbey (the author of both this and "As Time Goes By") shine. Judi Dench plays opposite her now deceased husband, Michael Williams, and they are a real treat. Playing a middle-aged couple who miss as often as they click, they show, through real acting skills, what this crazy thing called love is.

I bought this, not having heard a word, or seen a bit. Because I so enjoyed "As Time Goes By". I sat down with my mom and we laughed and cried and just loved it.

DO NOT hestitate-for this cannot be available much longer-it is over 20 years old. Just go for it...you won't be sorry.

The Finest of Sitcoms!
"A Fine Romance" brings together the witty writing of Bob Larbey with the engaging comic delivery of Michael Williams and Judi Dench. The unfathomable attraction of this unlikely and very awkward couple is conveyed convincingly through the physical comedy, the sharp and seamless delivery of lines and a brilliant sense of timing. We roll in our seats as they throw buckets of water at each other, cower before the dentist and deliver a brilliant dinner party which neither could attend! As viewers we long for them to get it right at the same time as we revel in all they do hilariously wrong. While this sitcom was created in the early '80s it continues to capture and represent the struggles that all couples face as they embark on a relationship, taken of course to the comic extreme! Dench and Williams breath new life into the sitcom genre, both coming from strong theatrical backgrounds, their sense of dramatic engagement is at times unexpected but always incredibly fun.

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Doc Martin Special Collection: Series 1-5 plus the Movies

Definitive Doc Martin Box Set.........So Far!
This is the definitive Doc Martin collection comprising the five series plus the movies which have been released to date. Doc Martin has aired between 2004 and 2011 and there have been a total of 37 episodes broadcast plus the Christmas Special in 2006 and the two movie length episodes which preceded the first series.

Doctor Martin Ellingham or Doc Martin was formerly a highly successful surgeon in a London hospital, who was forced to leave this job due to a fear of blood. He takes the job of GP in the sleepy Cornish village of Portwenn and is soon finding it difficult to relate to the locals due to what he considers his businesslike approach, but which is interpreted by those on the receiving end as standoffishness and a total lack of empathy and bedside manner. This extends to his personal life and his difficult relationship with the long suffering Louisa since he has very little in the way of people skills and a total inability to express emotion.

Portwenn is...

Fully packed with jovial Rx from Doc Martin
This winning hit combines a country doctor, who faints at the sight of blood, with quirky villagers, and fantastic English seaside visual charm. Now the entire 38 episode series is packaged together, along with 2 TV movies that spawned the series. It's a must-see-all opportunity in the full-deal package. A set to own, for continuing viewing privilege; time after time. A comedy classic British production.

SUBTITLES- yes!
TV Season 1: Martin Clunes plays the London surgeon moving into sleepy Portwenn. Viewers are introduced to characters so odd they become household names. 6 episodes of hysterical hilarity.
2: Nine new episodes fail to ease the surly self-centered doctor. Romance (Caroline Catz) lingers on Cornish fishing village streets.
3: Doc's aunt (Stephanie Cole) is one of the less eccentric locals through the season's 7 episodes. Bert Large (Ian McNeice) plumber turned chef is wildly goofy as is Doc's receptionist.
4: The previous season ended in a...

English Mum
I bought this for my British Mum for Mothers Day. We had no idea there were 2 Doc Martin movies prior to the series before ordering this. This set includes both movies, and seasons 1 through 5. Season 6 is in progress. As my Mum puts it, this reminds her of home. The characters are terrific, and very British. Typical British stoic silliness. If you love British humor, this is a wonderful English Dramedy.

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Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

Educational entertainment DVD--a joy to view & hear
GREAT, though I'm no Broadway musicals expert. This DVD made me want to watch musical after musical after musical. This DVD documentary considers a number of significant and much acclaimed shows. My experience with musicals has been enjoyable, but never one presented in NYC. It is not a definitive list but the people behind the productions discussed do tend to be heavily Jewish, the reason for the special emphasis and look at one nationality's impact on the art form. Note the emphasis is more on Jewish artists' (acting, writing, composing, directing) culture, not religion.

With narration by Joel Grey, it begins with early Yiddish theater--quickly the Broadway American Musical began to draw inspiration heavily from the NYC Jewish population. In 1920s 1 in 4 of NYC population was Jewish, partially explaining the heavy participation in musical production. Of course there are exceptions noted on this documentary. A major one being Cole Porter, who actually had 3 shows flops...

Disappointing disks
It's an interesting documentary on the subject and the interviews are insightful but the lack of clips of full musical numbers is very disappointing and lets face it, most composers do not have the voice to sing their music. Disk 2 is supposed to have 3 hours of additional content including performances, however, unless they are hidden in an "easter egg" I have not found them,

I loved it!
This is a great story about telling great stories! And it is beautifully done. It pulled me in and I did not want to leave - even at the end!

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Doc Martin Series 1

Brilliant! A must-watch!
I absolutely LOVED this series. I had heard Martin compared with House, and I think that's a bit unfair, albeit understandable. However, I prefer to think of him as a strange cross between House and James Harriot. Although James was just nice, nice, nice (ad nauseum), the situations in which they find themselves are really very similar - close-knit countryside full of bizarre natives with bizarre rituals. In personality he is much more like House, with one huge difference: House is a rude, insensitive jerk simply because he enjoys it, while Martin, not a jerk at all, frequently acts like one because he doesn't seem to know any better. Like House, Martin's dry, deadpan comebacks are hilarious.

Each episode of Season 1 is better than the one before, culminating in an ending so funny I think I had tears in my eyes. He just never learns, does he?

I still can't quite put my finger on what makes Martin so charming, since I'm not sure I would enjoy knowing him in...

"That's Dr. Ellingham, if you please, and what's all this moaning about a little diarrhea?"
Curmudgeons, if blessed with good writers, can be satisfying house guests. They're irascible, oblivious, often insulting (sometimes unintentionally), but usually with a hint of endearing rehabilitation. Dr. Martin Ellingham, formerly a top-rank London surgeon who now practices general medicine in the Cornish town of Portwenn, not only has first-rate writers, he's blessed by having as his impersonator the actor Martin Clunes.

Dr. Ellingham ("Martin or Dr. Ellingham, please. Not `Doc Martin!'"), during one simple operation, found himself overwhelmed and unable to continue. The sight of blood suddenly sickened him, not a good thing for a surgeon. It stopped his career cold. He retrained and accepted the job of Portwenn's GP, far away from London and from the people who'd learned of his phobia.

But Doc Mar...Dr. Ellingham...seems to have a gene missing in his make-up. He is all too frank, oblivious to human courtesies, awkward, means well but has one of the worst...

a sparkling escape
Quirky characters, idealized village life ...city sophisticates escaping the rat race. A welcome series in the tradition of Monarch of the Glen and Northern Exposure...more oddball comedy than soap like the latter.

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