No Sex in the City (Thanet Extra, May 2008)

How many men will be coerced into watching Sex and the City at the pictures this weekend? Published in another newspaper were some coupons excepting individual blokes from this particular chore — in return for a lot of washing up, ironing and baby burping obviously. In the spirit of Carrie Bradshaw, “It got me thinking, what do we expect of our TV shows when they cross over from just being friends on the google-box to full-blown, going-all-the-way, flicks at the cinema?” What if they don’t measure up (like Tom Cruise) and leave us, you know, unsatisfied?

Take Miami Vice, as one example. Effortlessly cool in the 80s, the show defined a certain period with its music, clothes and nonchalant Crockett and Tubbs. In 2006 however, the movie nearly gave itself a hernia, it was trying so hard to be hip. And what was the plot about? The fact that there were some sleek action scenes and beautiful shots crafted by director Michael Mann, just reminded us: there was no reason for this to be called “Miami Vice”, other than nostalgia.

The X-Files movie in 1998 served a purpose for fans of the TV show. It continued the long-running story arc about Alien invasion (that was already starting to get tiresome) and was pretty passable as a science-fiction actioner for newcomers watching at the multiplex. How the new movie, X-Files: I want to Believe will fare this August, we’ll have to wait and see, but as always the hard part will be how they spin out a format that works well in 42 minute chunks, to something twice the size. Not easy.

Back with the girls in New York, for their full-length outing it’s not like the Producers can just throw in more special effects—to do what? Enhance Samantha’s libido so she becomes Godzilla in the bedroom; from Karl Lagerfeld to Cloverfield? They'll be upping the emotion no doubt. Does someone get married? Does someone die? I don’t know, I haven’t seen Sex and the City: The Movie. I printed my coupon, of course.