My BT Vision is taking a bit of a pounding at the moment I must admit. Since I realised I could watch new releases, or relatively new ones anyway, on my Vision Box Office I took advantage of the rubbish weather to catch up on Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.
Now I’m a bit of a Sherlock fan actually. I’ve read all the books about a million times and seen plenty of episodes of every TV incarnation (Jeremy Brett is my favourite – watch out for reruns on ITV3 from time to time).
And unlike most Sherlockians, I have to confess to liking Game of Shadows just as much as the BBC’s recent slick modern Cumberbatch version.
Fellow BT Vision users seem to take exception to the special effects and technical whizz-bangery that characterises Guy Ritchie’s latest movie. The general complaint seems to be that a man capable of producing such godawful twaddle as Revolver shouldn’t be let anywhere near the hallowed text of Sherlock.
Of course that misses the point that Mr Ritchie had no authorial hand in Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. He just directed it, which he does with flair and considerable affection for the subject. If you want two and a bit hours’ worth of action, adventure and cracking acting, look no further.
On mainstream BT Vision, I’ve mostly been watching Film 4 and ITV3. You won’t be surprised to learn that a man who loves Sherlock Holmes is also quite enamoured of any mid 90s detective programme – particularly Cracker or Morse. You won’t beat the former for gritty drama (just check out the first ever episode to see where the modern tendency for super-gory psychiatric crime drama first came from!) and the latter, well what’s to say. It’s Morse and it oozes class.
I must admit I’ve also started using my BT Vision package to listen to the radio. A compulsive radio-while-you-worker, I’ve been catching up with all sorts of Radio 4 offerings in the background while I scribble my latest blog post or review my latest movie. All very convenient – but it doesn’t half mean I have to go back through what I’ve just written to make sure I haven’t just auto-transcribed some lines from Something Understood!
Looking at the current BT Vision listings, I think they get films at the same time as they come out on DVD. To be honest I’m never sure these days. It used to be that you got films in cinemas, films on DVD, then films on the TV. But all these Box Office channels have confused the issue enormously. I don’t know anymore whether I’m watching a film after the DVD release, or before – or even whether I get Box Office at the same time as the film is on at the cinema.
Not that I mind much. Don’t do the cinema except on special occasions now, it costs way too much. So tonight it’ll be Hugo on our BT Vision On Demand.
Lisa jane is a technology writer working with BT Vision – Cable are an OFCOM accredited independent broadband, telephone and television comparison service which offers a number of comparison services including one for broadband deals.
