Boring, long, and too preachy.

Best movie of this year hands down!

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The tail end of 2013 saw three of Britain's best loved sitcoms being revived - 'Rab C. Nesbitt', 'Birds Of A Feather' and 'Open All Hours'. The nation was initially in doubt when a remake of 'Open All Hours' was put to the BBC. My initial dread was relieved somewhat though when I learned that some of the original cast would be involved and that Roy Clarke would be providing the scripts. On Boxing Day 2013, a pilot entitled 'Still Open All Hours' went out on BBC1 and, contrary to all expectations, it was a ratings success.Albert Arkwright has died and his nephew Granville has inherited the shop, as well as his tight-fistedness and knack for conning his customers. Working as his lackey is his illegitimate son Leroy, who came about as the result of a one-night stand in Blackpool. Leroy has the same relationship with his father as his father had with Arkwright, though Leroy seems to have more success with the opposite sex than Granville. Some of the original gang are still around such as the now retired Nurse Gladys Emmanuel ( Lynda Baron ), Stephanie Cole's Mrs. Featherstone ( a.k.a The Black Widow ) who seems to have softened with age as is evident by her apparent crush on Granville and Maggie Ollrenshaw ( looking better than she did in the original series ) as Mavis whose indecisiveness has not improved over the years. New characters include Wet Eric and his fiery wife Kath ( Johnny Vegas and the gorgeous Sally Lindsay ), the long suffering Gastric ( Tim Healy ), Mavis' over-protective sister Madge ( Brigit Forsyth ), gullible Cyril ( Kulvinder Ghir ) and fluttery Mrs. Hussein ( Nina Wadia ).And, of course, ever present is the over-aggressive cash register ( the very same one used in the original series ).David Jason is nowhere near as impressive as Barker was in the title role but then I don't think Jason was even trying to be better than his predecessor, for a start Clarke wisely chose not to have Granville inherit Arkwright's stammer. Had he tried so, the result would have been frightful. That said, he still managed to bring the same likability to his character. James Baxter was annoying as Leroy but all the same his presence was still needed. The original surviving cast members still haven't lost the knack either. Of all the new characters, my favourite was Johnny Vegas' Wet Eric whose relationship with his fearsome wife was hilarious.Whilst unsurprisingly never comparing in terms of popularity with the original, 'Still Open All Hours' was amusing and well enough received to run to a decent three series. Another wise movie was the retaining of Ronnie Hazelhurst's brilliant theme tune.

I don't know why some of you think this is insulting! Although it's a spin off from the original you have to see it as an entity all its own. David keeps Ronnie's character alive with the great photo and periodic stammer. A lot of the original cast is back joined by many fantastic newcomers. To you naysayers I say nay! This is an excellent show with many funny and warm moments. The old hand eating cash register is still having a go at Granville and the bosomy nurse Gladys still pays a visit. What more do you need?! The British have always been the masters of situation comedy and this is apparent in this show. Don't let the comments steer you away. This show is definitely worth watching. Great job!

Like many other people I was a little bit concerned when I heard that there was going to be a revival of Open All Hours. I wondered how well the premise would work in the modern age of supermarkets and online shopping. I also couldn't imagine it working without the great Ronnie Barker. But have no fear because with Roy Clarke still writing it, it's still proving to be a winning formula.I mentioned that it retains a lot of the charm of the original and that's mostly because many of the characters from the original series have returned for this new series; we have Mavis, Mrs (Delphine) Featherstone & Nurse Gladys. I think it's great that Roy Clarke has retained so many of the original characters, but what I also think is great is that he has actually expanded on some of the original characters (Mrs Featherstone's character shift is probably the most surprising, but for this very reason it also made her one of the best and funniest characters in this new series). Mavis' character is perhaps a little less dizzy in this new series, but again we still get a few laughs from her character. Writing Nurse Gladys back into the new series was clearly the biggest challenge for Clarke as she was an integral part of the story in the original (as Arkwright's fiancée). In this new series, without Barker, she did feel like a bit of a spare part in this at times. Having said that, Clarke still manages to get a few laughs from her character so it's not a major criticism.Clarke also introduces some new characters including Gastric, Eric & Cyril. Although sometimes we get a sense of 'deja vu' with their characters (they have certain traits of some of the original characters). Clarke still makes these characters funny in their own right and like the characters in the original series they are endearing and likable and they all have a certain charm and warmth about them.It was always going to be a big ask for even a great comedy actor such as David Jason to fill the shoes of the arguably greater Ronnie Barker - this is something he does admirably and whilst I don't think he's quite as good, he comes damn close. Baxter is good as Granville's put upon son (he effectively is the new Granville). Whilst Baxter does a good job, he isn't as interesting as Granville was in the original series - Granville had a sort of quirky weirdness about him which made him a fun and interesting character on his own. Leroy isn't a particularly strong character, but again he was still funny and his interplay with David Jason was a joy to watch. Perhaps Leroy's character will expand and develop if they do another series - I really hope to god that they do!!!! One of the things I loved the most about this series were the scenes where Granville was discussing Arkwright and talking to his picture; I'm assuming that Clarke wrote these scenes into the series more obviously for laughter, but I also thought that it was a really nice way to show a bit of homage and respect to the late Ronnie Barker - that really is what I call classy writing.In some ways, that's why I thought that the last episode of the series was the best as not only was it laugh out loud funny, but it also felt that it showcased how much respect Clarke had for Ronnie Barker.Whilst Still Open All Hours isn't quite as funny as the original (there are some sub plots that don't really go anywhere) it is a very funny series and it is much better than I expected it to be. If you loved the original series then you won't be disappointed. Roll on Series 2 hopefully....

The original show was brilliant. Mrs and me have watched and re- watched episodes down the years and still have time for them.The problem is not so much that the humour is dated. The 'dated' humour of the originals works very well for us and most recent stuff leaves us cold. We can watch Miranda Hart for hours and never smile once. We can watch Dad's Army, Blackadder, Porridge, Fawlty Towers and Open All Hours repeatedly and just keep laughing and loving them.No, the problem is that Ronnie Barker has gone. He was a comic genius that lifted Open All Hours out of the ordinary, along with the fantastic cast around him and the strong interplay of characters of which he was the hub.David Jason may or may not be in quite the same class as Ronnie, but he certainly has class and does a great job of being an older Arkwright-like Granville. The trouble starts with Granville's son, who seems to be a characterless non-entity who doesn't function as a comic foil and counterweight in the way that Granville played on near equal terms against Arkwright. Nurse Gladys has been reduced to an appendage, since the 'relationship' with Arkwright is no longer there to give the part its special place. Nice to see her again, but what's she for now?And I'm afraid I keep smelling whiffs of Last of the Summer Wine in the dialogue and run of casting.Still, if enough people like this new incarnation, then it justifies itself, but it isn't the jewel that it was.