All Columns in Alphabetical Order


Monday, October 7, 2013

Damian Lewis Double Feature by BBC Home Entertainment Highly Recommended by Whom You Know Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates


For over 30 years, Stribling and Associates has represented high-end residential real estate, specializing in the sale and rental of townhouses, condos, co-ops, and lofts throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and around the globe. Stribling has more than 200 professional brokers who use their respected expertise to provide personalized service to buyers and sellers at all price levels. A separate division, Stribling Private Brokerage, discreetly markets properties over $5 million, and commands a significant market share in this rarified sector of residential real estate. Stribling is the exclusive New York City affiliate of Savills, a leading global real estate advisor with over 200 office in 48 countries. 
Check out their listings: 
& their most recent State of the Market: 
Whom You Know Congratulates their new President, Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan: 

*** 
Whom You Know continues to fancy the pure genius of BBC Home Entertainment, and they consistently bring quality programming that - we hate to say it as true patriots- often exceeds the quality of what most Americans see from major American networks in prime time today.  Do yourself a favor and don't compromise on programming-you need to build up your DVD collection with the talent from across the pond and give your DVD player a proper workout.  
The latest one to know is Damian Lewis, who does have quite the American presence as well.  His understated star power shines brightly and our panel raves:

What better way to open an upbeat show than with a rousing Tom Jones Ditty? Count on the Brits. In this modern version of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, BBC Home Entertainment brings us into this classic, but with a twist. You'll know Damian Lewis and delight in watching his back-to-back acting chops in this double feature. Whether you hated his character in The Forsyte Saga, or sat on the edge of your seat through Homeland episodes, his is a face that compels. Seeing more of him thanks to the people at BBC Home Entertainment is a gift. In Friends and Crocodiles, Damian Lewis makes acting look easy, which is possibly the hardest thing for any actor to do. We get to hear him in both Much Ado and Crocodiles in an overview of misguided types, rather a Mr. Lewis forte. His edgy way of creating characters we almost hate, but have to love is part of his magnetism as an artist. Whether in Mr. Shakespeare's lighthearted comedic romp, or in this oddly fascinating surrealist drama Friends and Crocodiles , Mr. Lewis carries the weight and shoulders the responsibility. BBC Home Entertainment delights in presenting us with hours of superb acting, brilliant production and happy hours of entertainment not usually seen on U.S. channels.

Even if he weren’t such a skilled actor, we would enjoy watching Damian Lewis in just about any role! I love the handsome, red-headed-Brit look, and he pulls it off perfectly. Not only that, but the English accent on a red-head will get me EVERY time! This double-feature contrasts an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing with Friends and Crocodiles, an original BBC production. Much Ado About Nothing was a fantastic and amusing adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. His role as Benedick, is charming and you’re cheering him on from the beginning, despite his up-and-down relationship with Beatrice. Friends and Crocodiles was a completely different animal. As someone who relates wholly to the Lizzie character, Friends and Crocodiles made me cringe from start to finish. That may not sound like a resounding endorsement, but it’s a huge compliment to Damian’s skill in playing Paul. He does a great job at the constant oscillation between annoying and lovable, and even in the end, you’re still not sure what to make of the relationship between the two. 

Fans of Homeland and Damian Lewis - start getting excited! BBC Home Entertainment has released a fantastic double feature of two early television appearances of Damian Lewis. Damian Lewis Double Feature: Friends & Crocodiles / Much Ado About Nothing will have you glued to your television from start to finish. Friends & Crocodiles is the story of the relationship of Paul (Lewis) and Lizzie (Jodhi May). Paul hires Lizzie to work as his assistant. The movie shows how their relationship evolves through the years and also how British society and politics have changed. Much Ado About Nothing is a modern take on the classic comedy. This time, the story takes place in a TV studio of a local news station. It is a really unique and interesting take on the timeless Shakespearean tale. Both films are sure to entertain, and they make an excellent addition to any DVD collection.

Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor Damian Lewis is best known for his work in Homeland and Band of Brothers. However, as is so often the case with so many great actors and actresses, he was doing outstanding work far before he became well-known internationally. Thanks to a new release from BBC Home Entertainment though, fans of Mr. Lewis are now able to enjoy some of his earlier acting work from the comfort of their own homes. In the Damian Lewis Double Feature, two of his early television movies, Much Ado About Nothing and Friends & Crocodiles (both of which were originally released in 2005) are showcased, allowing viewers a glimpse of his early brilliance on the small screen. Much Ado About Nothing is a modern retelling of the classic Shakespeare play, in which Mr. Lewis plays the cocky and self-assured Benedick to Sarah Parish's feisty Beatrice. The movie is set in the studio of a local television news broadcast, where Benedick is called upon to replace Beatrice's co-anchor. The two share a complicated history, and although Beatrice fights tooth and nail to prevent the job from being offered to Benedick, she is unsuccessful, and the barbs fly as the two are forced to work together. However, thanks to the connivance of their co-workers, each winds up believing that the other is still in love with them, which unleashes their true, underlying feelings for each other. Mr. Lewis' comedic skills are brilliantly showcased in this exciting and engaging reworking of the Bard's famous comedy, and Ms. Parish and the supporting cast members also turn in fantastic performances. Friends & Crocodiles is also a highly entertaining film, which begins with Mr. Lewis playing a Gatsby-esque entrepreneur, Paul Reynolds, who hires a young woman named Lizzie Thomas (Jodhi May) to be his assistant in the early 1980s. What follows is the story of the next 20 years and the interesting twists and turns their relationship takes. Lizzie, although fascinated by her young, wealthy, and attractive employer, is disgusted and appalled by the shenanigans that take place at his estate, and eventually calls the police after one of his notorious parties gets out of hand. They part on an acrimonious note, but throughout the next twenty years, their paths continue to intersect, with unexpected twists and turns in the balance of power in their relationship, and in their personal lives. Intriguing and entrancing from start to finish, Friends and Crocodiles is a thought-provoking journey marked by superb acting performances from Mr. Lewis, Ms. May, and all of the supporting cast members. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, the Much Ado About Nothing/Friends & Crocodiles double feature from BBC Home Entertainment is definitely a must-see...and if you are not already a fan of Mr. Lewis', you will be by the time you finish watching - resistance is futile!

Calling all Damian Lewis Fans, have I got something special for you. That's right, a Damian Lewis double feature from BBC Home Entertainment. This great DVD features two fantastic pieces of Lewis' early work, Friends and Crocodiles and Much Ado About Nothing. Friends and Crocodiles features Lewis as entrepreneur and his relationship with his secretary. Their stories intertwine spanning two decades as they navigate through life and their careers, creating a fascinating story. Also included on this DVD are behind the scenes commentary and interviews with the director and actors. Much Ado About Nothing is a twist in the classic Shakespeare play. Set in a modern day television station co-anchors must learn to work together. The comedic plan hatched by their colleagues at the station unfolds hysterically with surprising lovers revealed. Much Ado About Nothing will leave you thoroughly entertained. So what are you waiting for, settle in for a great night of entertainment with this great Damien Lewis DVD.

***

Before Band of Brothers and Homeland, Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning actor Damian Lewis was turning heads in Friends and Crocodiles, from acclaimed director and playwright Stephen Poliakoff, and Much Ado About Nothing, a modern-day take on the Shakespeare classic set in a London television news studio. Now, for the first time ever, BBC Home Entertainment brings together both early performances in a compilation, Damian Lewis Double Feature, available on DVD August 27, 2013. These two contrasting BBC features brilliantly demonstrate the great dramatic and comedic talents that make Damian Lewis such a fascinating actor.

Friends and Crocodiles follows the shifting power balance between a boss and his secretary as their careers rise and fall through the changing corporate landscape of 80s and 90s Britain. Lewis stars as Paul Reynolds, a visionary entrepreneur who hires Lizzie (Jodhi May, Strike Back) to bring order to his life as his assistant. Over the course of the next two decades their paths part and cross again as they both chase their dreams, only to realize that they were born to work together. 

In Much Ado About Nothing, the tension is high between co-anchors and ex-lovers Benedick (Lewis) and Beatrice (Sarah Parish, Hatfields & McCoys). The two arch-enemies’ bickering is getting to be too much to take until their colleagues at South West TV come up with a cunning plan to shut the pair up. Meanwhile, lovely weathergirl Hero (Billie Piper, Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl) and dashing reporter Claude (Tom Ellis, Once Upon a Time, Merlin) are a match made in heaven – but does everyone want to see them so happy? Much Ado About Nothing originally aired as part of the BBC’s “ShakespeaRe-Told” series in the UK and maintains the wit and humor of the beloved play.

About BBC Worldwide America:
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximize the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the UK license payer, and invests in public service programming in return for rights. The company has five core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, Consumer Products and Digital. Under these businesses fall two key brands in the U.S. – digital cable channel BBC AMERICA and BBC Worldwide Productions, the production arm responsible for the smash hit Dancing with the Stars.

Back to TOP