Ponderance: Oh, I don't agree with you at all, David!

Oh, I don't agree with you at all, David!

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Yesterday marked the beginning of the new SBS Movie Show without David and Margaret. The new team--Megan Spencer, Jaimie Leonarder, Fenella Kernebone & Marc Fennell--have big shoes to fill and, in all fairness, made a pretty average beginning. The new format has Megan, Jamie and Fenella reviewing films, supposedly bouncing off one another, while Marc Fennell does the DVD reviews. Fennell, I think, actually worked pretty well. However, the main film review trio lacked energy and, more to the point, seemed unwilling to really disagree with one another. (See The Age for a full rundown.) It was a pretty dull, 3 1/2 stars for everything type show. Don't get me wrong, reading the reviews shows that they were thought through and interesting. However, Megan and Jamie seem to have forgotten this isn't radio: the reviews are read well, but there is no personality to the onscreen image. Fenella has a bit more energy, but seemed to be trying to prop up two non-entities in the chairs behind her. The supposedly funked up set and opening really didn't excite me, either. I have high hopes, though, that after a month or two on TV they will ease into the roles a bit more and maybe find their TV groove. They do have big shoes to fill, after all, and speaking of which ...

Margaret Pomerancz and David Stratton's new movie show called At The Movies commences Thursday, July 1st at 9.30pm and I'm excited to have them back. The Age notes that it will have a similar feel, setup and format as the old Movie Show, but in a later timeslot which, amongst other things, will mean no more editing out the saucy bits and swear words in film clips. And they're in fine form:

The slot also takes them into a different censorship zone, moving from the PG of 8pm to an MA at 9.30pm. Pomeranz, with an ear still tuned to the responsibilities of a producer, notes that the first show features a film clip that includes the word "f-k". It's a clip that couldn't have been used at SBS.

When asked if the later timeslot might affect the new show in other ways, Pomeranz emits her squawk of a laugh and exclaims, "Well, I've been dying to say 'f-k you' to David for years and I've never been able to!"

Stratton rolls his eyes and smiles. "You see what I have to put up with?"

It'll be so good to have them back!

[Posted by Unknown] [12:24 pm]