Tonight's must-watch TV: BBC's Burn Up

Anonymous User 25 July 2008 11:50pm

The foul language in Burn Up is APPALLING.
And the witless TV reviewers, TV drama producers/writers/directors - and sadly, the actors, ignore, praise - and continue to use this disgusting American import over the last 20 odd years.

What is the saying.....two nations separated by a common language ? We have certainly dropped to the level of America. Any fool can curse and swear but the English Language is rich in its many meanings.
And now cinema and TV so influence the witless, that there is only a handful of words used to express anger, disgust, frustration, and everything in daily life.
Even something happy and joyful is pulled down by this now common denominator.

Anonymous User 26 July 2008 06:55am

Are you out to distract from the message. Maybe you work for big oil.
The plot was sound. The acting was fine. The script was rich. The message was prophetic. The bad language reflects the reality of the modern world. Have read "Carbon Wars" by Jeremy Leggett the politics was convincingly like the reality of climate summits.
One key message was that many US citizens believe that their country could survive climate change whilst much of the rest of planet will suffer greatly. In fact another beneficiary will be Russia but they risk getting invaded by China. Yes, climate change will start world war three. If you live in Europe you don't need to worry too much unless you are under 25. But don't buy a less then 2 meters below sea as it may depreciate in value as the populace becomes more aware of the future risks.
A great drama with rich dialogue that I could watch again. That's the test of a good production.

Anonymous User 26 July 2008 10:17am

I liked it very much and found it quite scary. 11.50pm if you had been paying attention to the plot rather than the language (a realistic reflection of every day language in modern Britain..tamer if anything) you might have been scared too.

Anonymous User 26 July 2008 12:37pm

I thought it was intelligent, an excellent script, super production and direction. The landscape/aerial footage was as good as you get in any blockbuster and the actors were very very good. Yes, the language at times was not necessary as the power of the play was sufficient. It is a shame that some words, although heard everyday can be enough to taint an otherwise super production. The story was real, very real and reminded me of an equally exellent film called "Defence of the Realm".

Anonymous User 26 July 2008 03:35pm

A reasonable show, overall. Certainly not a masterpiece, but enough to keep me engaged and interested. Important themes, although they were too exaggerated and simplified for my liking.

Unfortunately the plot, dialogue and acting were fairly pedestrian - especially the international climate negotiation scenes. Whitfield is the one exception. His character has real depth and he puts in a superb performance, particularly towards the end.

Full review here:
http://everythingischanging.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/burn-up-review-simplistic-apocalytic-trashy-but-i-like-it/

How close to reality was the peak oil theme? I've explored that a little here:
http://everythingischanging.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/peak-oil-mark-it-in-your-diary/

Anonymous User 27 July 2008 12:12am

... no-one has as yet commented on the key message of this drama: Peak Oil is happening. This is not a fiction and the consequences will destroy industrialised society long before global warming.
Visit www.theoildrum.com for the facts.

Anonymous User 27 July 2008 09:14pm

My complaint about the foul language was to point out that it DID distract from the appalling things it was telling us.
The 2nd writer at 10.17am says
"a realistic reflection of every day language in modern Britain..tamer if anything"
just shows what a foul and disgusting place modern Britian is.....brought about by appalling education and so-called 'tolerance' which has now become the nanny state where no one accepts responsibility for their own actions, let alone their children's.
I made no comment about the drama - or "paying attention to the plot" as you so rudely put - because this has been obvious for years and I already knew all about it.
All countries bow to the total power of oil. Is there ANYONE who will stand up to this ruthless power ? I doubt it. America will never give up their standard of living.
Politics stink. All politicians and high flying businessmen as portrayed. in the drama...well, Power corrupts, total power corrupts totally, to quote (or mis-quote).

Anonymous User 28 July 2008 09:20am

I thought it started well and had some good moments, but - towards the end - started to turn into Love Actually (as if Britain would ever stick it to the US like that in real life!)

Anonymous User 31 July 2008 10:56am

Dreadfull!
1. All the villians were cast as Americans.
2. The main character, given he was the chief executive of an oil company, seemed to have very little to do!
3. Regarding the friendly civil servant who breaks into your house to tell you he's on your side. If anyone broke into your house your should hit them over the head with a fire extinguisher and then call the police. Implausible!
4. Why would raising issues about previous sexual misconduct be deemed relavant at a hearing on climate change. Rediculous.
5. How come an impoverished professor could afford to fly at a wim across the world to a funeral in the Tundra of Greenland.
6. Why would a busy CEO fly at a wim across the world to a funeral in the Tundra of Greenland.
7. There is not a leading scientist on the planet who will come out and stake their credibility
on the CO2/Climate Change argument. Who was this character modeled on?

The plot was so rediculous as to make sceptics more sceptical.
From the BBC A compleat waste of tax payers money on lefty politics.

Anonymous User 04 August 2008 02:50am

Absolute garbage. The worst type of garbage because it's based on the junk science of climate change from the corrupt United Nations. The BBC are bias (they won't air alternative views) and their standards are going through the mire.
Our climate has 'changed' barely half a degree in 100 years, a warming since the mini ice-age 800yrs ago. It has nothing whatsoever to do with CO2 which has never moved Earths temperature in 700 million years butg always followed it like a faithful, but dumb, nodding donkey.
Further CO2 is nothing but a trace element in our atmosphere (0.0038%) and hasn't the muscle to lift the skin off a rice pudding. It's a bogus sad little joke by bogus sad little men peddling junk science to try to make a buck.
And peak oil is another bogus theory. Saudi is pumping at 50% capacity from their wells. In addition 2/3rds of the worlds oil remains undiscovered under the oceans (100yrs supply min.). In addition there's Trillions of barrels (another 100yrs supply) in the oil sands of Canada and Venezula.
Lie after lie can be countered by fact after fact. This is hot air by windbags, science fiction not science fact.

theGINlady 08 August 2008 10:04pm

hmmmm.... when people get so defensive, you suspect they are wrong! Moving on, I thought for a telly drama it was pretty good, and in some places, very plausible.