Learning French By Watching Télévision

J’aime la France, J’aime la television et J’aime de television Françoise.  French programmes were supposed to be educational, supposed to help me learn the language but I got too engrossed in the story lines and characters to make notes or repeat what the beautiful people said.

My first impression of Sky Living's The Tunnel was it’s a bit slow at the start and not in a cool French type of way, it needed to pick up speed and it did.  Clémence Poésy was great as the miserable straight talking workaholic Elise Wassermann and the more human British DCI Karl Roebuck’s (played by Stephen J. Dillane) wise cracks tried to lighten her mood. I do need to watch it again to piece together all the twists.

The Tunnel

  
Has my previous post states Channel 4 series – The Returned (les Revants) is currently my favourite new show of 2013. I know the American version of it won’t be half as good as the original. Frenchies + zombies = my television heaven!

Other Frenchie shows I’ve found on my SKY TV channels, on Sky Arts there was Mansion Close I found it very boring but maybe a programme about prostitutes back in 17th century isn’t for everyone’s taste. But a sit-com about the porn industry (only the French could make it) – Hard was hilarious, very crude but who cares I‘m not a nun and dull Sophie needed to cheer up, having to run a seedy porn business after she husband died isn’t paradise but being with the hot Roy the Rod (a sensitive caring porn star) would make even a nun smile.

Hard

Jo on Fox with Jean Reno wasn’t very French.  Reno is the only French guy in it and the rest of the characters are American or in one case a British actress with an American accent.  An interesting cop murder drama but more a Paris tourism advert with dead bodies lying around the French capital's popular tourist areas.

On the subject of French police, welcome back Braquo on Fox for series 3 (especially Theo played by Nicolas Duvauchelle) I do enjoy a bunch of dirty cops fighting crime their own way.

Braquo

 

2012 Review: Inspired By The Box

Where do I start travel or television? The good, the bad or the ugly?


The highlight as to be the Olympics and Paralympics for travel and TV, it made a change watching real talent and real stars (note to self - cancel Sky Sports subscription. I’m bored of overpaid arrogant footballers) not wannabees and has-beens on reality TV shows. I loved going to London this summer during the Olympics, and I would argue with Disney over the ‘happiest place on earth’ tag because I’m sure during the summer of 2012 London won that gold medal.

It wasn’t all positives this year,  £800 for 2 nights room only in a London Holiday Inn Express, still chained to my desk and I wasted my time watching a group of one-hit wonders called Alcatraz, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour and the aptly titled Unforgettable – I liked them.  At least Damien Lewis’s Life lasted two seasons.

It was au revoir to Desperate Housewives and Harry’s Law and bonjour to Touch, Elementary and Homeland, even thou I’m still not sure if I enjoyed season 2 it was all over the place.  Guy Pearce’s Jack Irish, Arrow and Person of Interest were all 5 star and American Horror Story: Asylum and Girls (I think I’m getting old) were a dirty 1 star hostel which I walked away from after two episodes.

With foreign TV (meaning non English speaking shows) I was gutted I missed Romanzo Criminale season 2 the first time around on Sky Arts but the series link is now in place for the repeats and Vinicio Marchioni is my first crush of 2013. Then there is the French.  Braquo season 2 was magnifique bring on season 3 and Mansion Close was alright but did drag on a bit. Now for 2013 so far there is Hard on Sky Arts, watching a comedy about a straight-laced widow running a porn business should be interesting especially when I’m watching it with my Mom in the room. Merci it’s in another language.

Vinicio Marchioni

On the travel front apart from London being my top destination for 2012 I only managed two trips abroad.  In April I went to Switzerland for the first time – a long weekend of après-ski in Verbier and an hour running around a windy Geneva trying to see as much as possible.  The other was a beautiful week in Provence, visiting Nimes, Arles, Salon de Provence, Aix en Provence and Istres with Monsieur X as my personal tour guide, host and cook.

Windy Geneva

Hot Salon de Provence

My 'Disneyland' - Olympic Park

But what about 2013? More travelling for starters and until then I have my faithful box in the corner…it’s only the 6^th January and with new seasons of NCIS, Bones, Stella and Silent Witness starting this week and getting closer to the second half of Walking Dead season 3 and Sky’s new Kevin Bacon show the Following (FYI loving the EE Bacon ads) I think it’s going to be a great year.

New Year Resolutions?  Yes!

No more ‘R’s – repeats and reality (massive fail as I’m watching Celebrity Big Brother).
More ‘T’s – Travel and (Quality) TV.