I don’t really touch on events that could be labelled as current affairs in this tiny corner of the internet way over here. I sometimes feel that I should, that I should be more engaged in what’s going on around us out there in The Actual World as opposed to just sitting it out over in my pop culture bubble.
Actually, that’s probably a little unfair to describe myself as not being engaged. I do keep abreast of what’s going on to varying degrees. I go through phases of taking in as much as I can (usually when I’m intermittently taking advantage of one of those cheap 12 week subscriptions to The Economist) before finding myself so utterly despondent at the various different injustices and outrages being perpetrated all across the word that I have to unplug a little.
I’m just not sure that I have anything particularly insightful to add to the vast crop of commentators currently out there. Thanks to social media, everyone is a pundit these days (a fact that I gleefully take advantage of, naturally, with these aimless witterings). Also thanks to social media, it’s very easy to get it “wrong” and be electronically hung, drawn and quartered (can’t bear using the term but “cancelled”). Of course there are cases of people’s hideous views and opinions being exposed but equally there are examples of miscommunication and a lack of proper articulation leading to people being tarred and feathered when they need a bit of re-education.
In an age where we pride ourselves on being so much more enlightened than in times past, mob mentality still prevails. It’s visible in our interactions with each other online and it’s visible out there in the actual flesh and blood world. Today, Britain leaves the EU and exploitation of mob mentality, of base fears and prejudices, has played a major role in an action that will impact this country in some way, shape or form for a long time to come.
On days like today, it can be tough to reconcile that change is happening, whether you like it or not. The important thing about change is that it keeps happening. Very few things in this world are permanent (not even permanent marker - you can scrub off the genitals your mate drew on your head when you passed out drunk if you try hard enough). If you don’t like this change, you can work to effect one that you will like in the future. Of course, that means that someone else won't like that and will be working to effect their own change in return…
Hmmm, OK, I think I see why I normally leave the “real” world well enough alone. I’m unfocused and rambling enough of the time in this written runoff from my thought bucket without doubling down on it. “All very nice but what was the point there?”
*shrugs shoulders and starts planning something about film and TV for next time*
(This title sounds like one of the punk bands that Vyvian from The Young Ones would have listened to…)
With an alarming sense of almost seasonal regularity (at which we British types seem to be perpetually and inexplicably surprised), the weather has settled for a while now into what can only be described as “wintry”*. For the commuter, this means a number of things. Additional layers to protect you against the occasional arctic blasts which buffet you whilst huddled upon the platform. The stiflingly unbearable swelteriness of said layers in the overcranked heating of the [insert preferred method of public transport here]. Mainly, though, what it means is germs. Lots and lots of gunge-y, jet-propelled germs.
Today’s germ-based focus is the sneeze; everyone’s favourite method of expelling snot and mucus from the body at roughly the speed of a bullet. On public transport, sneezers tend to fall into a few main camps:-
The Suppressor
Determined not to allow any nostril-themed escapings, this person will pinch the nose in order to cause an internal explosion, often accompanied by heaving of the shoulders and watering of the eyes. For those who are truly unlucky, a particularly forceful sneeze will fail to be contained by this method and fire out at a sideways angle.
The Squeaker
This individual's sneezing sounds are so ludicrously high-pitched that it sounds a lot like they are stepping on a toy mouse.
The Repeated Sniffer
Having unexpectedly sneezed, this unfortunate soul is not possessed of any tissues and now has to spend the entirety of the journey sniffing in order to prevent the now free-flowing nasal drip from making its way down the front of the coat. This compulsive sniffing will irritate anyone within an eight-seat radius for the duration of the trip.
The Exploder
Shits given = zero. This borderline psychopath will make no attempt to cover or disguise their sneeze. Quite the contrary; they seem to revel in the destructive bogey-based force being unleashed from their nasal regions and may even be aiming for some sort of record in terms of distance and radius covered. May well even wipe their nose on their sleeve afterwards because why not?
All of which is to say that, if you happen to be an Exploder on my carriage on the way home, don’t be surprised when my thinly veiled veneer of civility crumbles and I choke you to death with a full pack of Kleenex.
*Obviously that is a lie. As a nation, we excel at differing ways to describe the colder weather. I just didn’t feel like going all thesaurus-y on you so let’s just leave that statement to settle where it is.
Let's get back to digging around the comedy stuff lurking within the old bonce.
OK, maybe this title is incorrect to begin with. From the days of Looney Tunes, Tex Avery and Tom And Jerry, cartons were always pretty weird. There came a point in the 90s though when the weird quotient dramatically increased alongside a big stinky slice of grossness. It all started over in a little corner of Nickelodeon…
Ren And Stimpy*
It was weird, brash, crude and managing to be both similar to old timey cheapo cartoons whilst utterly unlike anything else. I was both fascinated and repelled by it. I had never seen a cartoon, aimed at kids and on a kids channel, devote an episode to a sentient fart before. Powdered Toast Man, Log, Happy Happy Joy Joy - there was something wilfully weird about the whole thing and it’s clear that it’s remained an influence on the sort of shows that you’d now find on Adult Swim to this day. Of course, it’s more immediate influence could be felt on the crop of shows that popped up pretty soon afterwards…
Rocko’s Modern Life
It might have been less overtly weird but there was still a hefty dose of strangeness to this tale of a wallaby, his gross dog and his cow friend (who eats a disturbing amount of burger and steak). It also had a number of jokes that clearly weren’t aimed at kids and were designed to sail neatly over kids heads while the adults turned to each other and asked, “Did they really just do that?” It’s also about someone striking out in the adult world for the first time so has a certain appeal beyond just the kids.
Johnny Bravo, Cow And Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls
These were ones that I dipped in and out of but were no less strange and wonderful and showed that, while Nickelodeon may have kicked off the whole weird cartoon revolution, Cartoon network was more than capable of getting in on the action. In fact, if anything, Cartoon Network have arguably stuck with and run with the whole weirdness thing for far longer than Nickelodeon have. You also wouldn't have other cracking shows like Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, Samurai Jack, Regular Show, Infinity Train, The Amazing World of Gumball and so many more.
Space Ghost Coast To Coast
This kicked off a whole other set of comedy shows. I feel like maybe Adult Swim is deserving of a post all of its own...
*Side Note:- As with, it would seem, a surprisingly large number of the pop culture figures around during my youth, I appreciate that show creator John Kricfalusi is involved in allegations about his sexual conduct. That’s not something that I’m going to get into here; I’m primarily looking at the influence this show had on me nearly 30 years ago, long before any allegations came to light.
Today saw the announcement of the passing of Terry Jones following a long battle with primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia. I didn’t know him personally but, given that I spent all of last September watching and then writing about Monty Python, it would odd if I didn't mention him. There are those out there who knew him and will pay heartfelt tribute to him. All I’m going to do is highlight some of the comedy moments which have stuck with me and influenced me over the years.
- The indignation and spillage when he slams down his pint following Eric Idle’s constant insinuations during the “Nudge, Nudge” sketch
- Almost constantly playing a ludicrous caricature of a woman (who, by his own account, increasingly resembled his own mother as he got older…)
- Sir Bedevere’s bizarre accent (and inexplicable inability to say “Ni”) along with his tortured logic in demonstrating how, if a woman weighs the same as a duck, she is therefore a witch
- The fact that his direction in Life Of Brian gives the film the look and feel of a biblical epic rather than a comedy which helps to sell the humour so much more
- Playing Brian’s mother, Mandy (yes, that is her name), not only for the much quoted “Not the messiah” line but also for a line that constantly sits in my head:- “There is an animal called a balm. Or did I dream it?”
- Managing to be almost as quoted for playing the disgusting and exploding Mr Creosote in Meaning Of Life (the phrase “it’s only wafer-thin” - ensuring of course that you pronounce the word “wafer” as “waffer” - being used whenever someone has eaten their fill)
- His historical and mythological children's books, including Erik The Viking
- Pretty much the entirety of Ripping Yarns which he created post-Python with his good mate Michael Palin
- And finally, the fact that he and Michael Palin remained close friends all the way through to the end.
RIP Mr Jones. Thanks for all the laughs.
A little bit of clarification about which films I’ll discuss under the banner of “Oscar Season”. Anything that’s been nominated for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (Original & Adapted), Actor (Main & Supporting), Actress (Main & Supporting) and Documentary, Animated and International Features; to be fair, that only leaves a couple not included on the list but you’ve got to draw a line somewhere, I reckon. Let’s talk about one previously mentioned briefly as part of the end of year round-up and give it a bit more detail this time round...
Parasite (2019)
Dir. Bong Joon-Ho / Dur. 132 mins
In A Nutshell:- An impoverished family gradually begins to con its way into the life of a more affluent family.
The Good:- Parasite is one of those films that it is best to come in to cold. The less you know about it, the more enjoyable it is. I knew literally nothing before I started watching it and was completely drawn in by it. I’d watched Bong’s previous film The Host which is very much a tribute to old-fashioned monster films (with a satirical edge) but this is not in a similar genre at all (except for maybe the satirical edge). It does have a similar sense of energy and inventiveness about it but that is where the similarities end. The cast are strong, in particular Song Kang-ho who has appeared in a few of Bong’s previous films as well as a couple of Park Chan-wook’s (most notably the lead in Sympathy For Mr Vengeance). It’s funny, it looks great, it goes to very strange places and it makes a point without being preachy about it.
The Bad:- I genuinely can't think of anything that I didn't enjoy about this one.
The Verdict:- Oftentimes, I see a film cropping up on a lot of “best of year” lists and am slightly baffled as to why people are raving about it so much. This is not one of those films. I get why it’s up there and second it for my own list (well, as I did the other week anyway). If you're looking for an Oscar nominated film that isn’t one of the standard “ah yeah, they were definitely hoping for an Oscar with this one” films that you get every year, give this one a go.
It’s that time of year when films of differing tone and style are mashed together into a contest to determine one of them as “the best”. Yep, it’s Oscar season so time to take a look at some of the big contenders for this year. Given that I’ve been a lean*, mean** film-watching machine over the last few months, I’ve already covered off some of the big hitters. Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Pain & Glory have all been discussed while Marriage Story and Parasite have had a brief mention (might flesh those ones out later on). That still leaves a few more to cover off so let’s kick off with something appropriately cinematic.
1917 (2019)
Dir. Sam Mendes / Dur. 119 mins
In A Nutshell:- The horrors of the First World War unfold, seemingly in a single take.
The Good:- It’s a film that definitely rewards viewing on a big screen. Technically, the film is an astonishing achievement, composed of a number of long takes (designed to look like a single take - with one notable exception; more on that below) and giving a real sense of movement to a conflict characterised by its frequent lack thereof. George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman make a convincing duo with Mackay having a particularly haunted , shell-shocked appearance throughout. It boasts some stunning visuals (courtesy of longtime Coen Brothers director of photography and previous Oscar winner Roger Deakins) and some moments of genuine tension and emotion; possibly all the more so knowing that it was based on stories told to Mendes by his grandfather.
The Bad:- There is a moment where Mackay’s character is knocked out and the action shifts forward once he regains consciousness which breaks the flow of it seeming like a single continuous shot. It’s a shame that Mendes chose to do that as it breaks the flow a little. Also, I found the famous bit part roles a little distracting too - dropping in Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Adrian Scarborough, Benedict Cumberbatch throughout made me focus on them as guest stars rather than as part of the story. I found myself at times marvelling at how they’d managed to pull off these long shots with a number of technical requirements throughout instead of paying attention to what was going on.
The Verdict:- It is a visually stunning and amazingly impressive piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen on the screen. While there might be the odd moment that brings you out of it, it holds your attention from the opening shot all the way through and leaves you feeling, appropriately enough, slightly battered and dazed by the end.
* sedentary
** probably occasionally irritable at most
The memory is a curious beast. Not literally, obviously. I don’t have an inquisitive cat perched within my skull. I was being all like metaphorical and stuff. No one wants a skull cat.
It’s funny how some things get built up into something of significance within your own mind when, in reality, the “truth” is something far more pedestrian. I’ll give you a case in point (otherwise this would be a rather short post with just a couple of vague sentences - sure, I could try and pass that off as a post but let’s give you a little bit more than that).
When I was but a mere youngling with a mane of beautifully thick but ultimately short-lived hair, the parents would occasionally take the Brother and me (often accompanied by the paternal grandparents) out for a meal for a treat. We had a regular restaurant that we would frequent and that particular eatery was known as Chefs Delight. Hmmm, you may be wondering, what sort of cuisine would this establishment provide to its dining customers with a name such as Chef’s Delight? Well, it was mostly consisted of all day breakfasts, grilled meats, omelettes and largely chips as an accompaniment.
Aha, I hear you say, it’s a greasy spoon-style cafe/diner. Yes, it is (and, in my mind at least, a perfectly fine one). That’s not how I viewed it as a child, though. This was a restaurant. Somewhere I went to with grown ups and ordered grown up food. My regular order (I am after all a creature of habit)? Minute steak, well done (I was yet to discover the delights of properly cooked steak) with a side order of chips and an ice cream float to drink. I like to think that I still maintain those levels of health consciousness while dining out…
The point here is that, to my tiny little mind, this wasn’t (and I mean no disrespect to Chef’s Delight here) a traditional high street diner that you might find dotted around most of the UK. To me back then, it was a special destination, somewhere that we went for a treat, somewhere that served me ice cream in my drink (to be honest, I still think that’s a great idea).
I went past it recently and I saw it for what it was - a traditional high street diner that you might find dotted around most of the UK. Intellectually, of course I knew this to be the case. There was a part of my mind that couldn’t reconcile what I was seeing, though, with the hazy image of this being an iconic destination of my youth. It just seemed... a lot more ordinary.
I didn't go in - largely because I was being driven past it and couldn’t stop - but also because I prefer the version that sits in my curious memory beast. Sometimes you can nostalgically recapture what once sat only in your head and sometimes, it’s best to just leave it there...
Idiom. We all love a bit of idiom. If I’d been a better writer, I’d have used an example there that would have been both fitting and hilarious but I didn't so let’s just pretend that I did and agree that it was fabulous and we can all move on. Cheers.
Something struck me the other day when I heard a couple of phrases used one after the other in relatively quick succession. There seems to be a number of phrases that inexplicably single out grandmothers when there is no real logical reason to do so. “What, oh Baldy One, are you drivelling on about now?” Well, dear hypothetical literary device of a question asker, let me elucidate with some examples that I’ve come across recently.
“I’d sell your grandmother for the chance to ”
Who’s buying grandmothers and what are they using them for? What is the going exchange rate on a grandmother? Can they be exchanged in retail outlets for goods and services? This conjures to mind the image of grandmother farms - rows upon rows of grandmothers stacked up ready for redeployment to needy grandchildren. Kind of like battery chicken but with more knitting and a stronger smell of Werthers Originals.
“I’ll teach your grandmother to suck eggs.”
Sucking an egg seems like one of the slowest ways possible to eat it. Unless you’re eating them raw, in which case that seems revolting in addition to carrying the increased risk of salmonella. Why would you want to expose your grandmother to that? Additionally, if the reason that you’re teaching her to suck eggs is because she doesn’t have any working teeth, it seems to me that the kinder and less cheapskate option would be to get her some teeth so she can chew her eggs with a bit of dignity.
“And if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a bicycle.”
No, she wouldn’t. She’d be an elderly woman with two wheels awkwardly grafted onto her. Even if this did somehow work as a means of transportation, you would then have to clamber up on to her somehow and devise some sort of means of propelling her forwards her in order to approximate any sort of cycling capability which just seems to add to the cruelty. I think that the more accurate version would be “if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be sad, confused and possibly in some degree of pain”.
In conclusion then, leave the elderly out of the idioms. They’ve got their own stuff to be getting on with. Besides, it’s probably nearly time for Dickinson’s Real Deal.
And so it ends….
Come on, we all know what this one is, not too much need for preamble here so let’s dive straight in.
(WARNING:- I’m going to discuss it so here be spoilers - I will be giving stuff away. If you’ve not seen it, maybe come back to this later.)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker
Dir. JJ Abrams / Dur. 142 mins
In A Nutshell:- Something about space priests and robots. Haven’t really been paying attention.
The Good:- In a film that is the culmination of nine films and 42 years of filmmaking, you want a bit of breathless spectacle and a hefty dollop of emotion. This film certainly delivers on that, plunging headlong into the action and barely letting up for a minute. It had a daunting task to pull off - namely having to include Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia despite Fisher’s passing after filming the previous one and without resorting to the CGI shenanigans of Rogue One. To the film’s credit, it does this admirably with Fisher being a much larger presence in the film than I’d anticipated and getting as good as a send off as you could hope for given the limited amount of unused footage they had to work with. C3PO gets more to do than in any of the new trilogy films so far and the return of Lando can't help but bring a warming feeling to an old fanboys heart. While I have reservations about the return of the character, Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine is always good value and he’s clearly relishing the chance to be back. And speaking of returns, it was no real surprise that Luke would be back as a Force ghost but nice to see a brief memory-based return for Han to round things out. Not necessary, sure, but a nice touch. Rey’s journey to reject the expectations of her genetic legacy and chose a name and a future for herself feels like a suitably Star Wars place to leave things.
The Bad:- While I may have been swept up in the nostalgia of it, when I stopped to think about it, a lot of the film felt like wasted opportunities. Bringing back the Emperor, while pleasing for hardcore fans, feels like a big backwards step after the intriguing steps in a new direction that The Last Jedi made, especially coupled with having to tie Rey into one of the main Star Wars characters.* Bringing in new characters like Jannah while sidelining Rose who was prominent in the last film also feel like it’s bowing to unpleasant pressure in the worst way. There are also moments that fill underwritten, almost first draft, like Finn having something to tell Rey that never gets resolved**. Overall, when looked at in retrospect, it’s a film that’s trying to course correct from the previous director while stuffing in more new things. It could do with streamlining and focussing to make it into a truly great film. It is in some respects a victim of one of JJ Abrams’ favourite tricks - throwing stuff out there that’s mysterious and cool without necessarily paying it off. Fine at the start of a trilogy but probably best left behind at the end.
The Verdict:- I thoroughly enjoyed it. It may not sound like it from the list of negatives above but, while I was in the cinema, I was completely caught up in the momentum of it and swept through to the end. I laughed, I shed a tear or two and I left feeling like I’d been thoroughly blockbustered. While it may not be the film that it could have been, it was still an enjoyable end to the saga. Until Disney decides to start wringing more money out of the Skywalker again, that is...
* This also raises the disturbing image of someone having sexy nudey time with the wizened wrinkled old Emperor as, given their apparent ages, his son would have been born sometime between Episode III and IV...
**It’s clear that he’s going to tell her he’s Force sensitive but it just nevers pays off into anything.
There are some comedy shows that have such an impact on you at a certain time of life that that permeate through. Phrases and mannerisms percolate their way through into the everyday mlch to the extent that you begin to forget where you got them from. They’re a touchstone to certain times in your life and a link between a group of you that shared that sensibility. Spaced is one of those shows for me…
The other hot ticket for the month (and apparently one of the hottest tickets that the BFI has ever had), Sunday 12th January saw a reunion panel for (almost) the entire cast and key crew flanked either side by a marathon screening of both series of the show. All in honour of the fact that it turns 21 years old this year.
If you don’t know Spaced, it’s the sort of show easy to describe in a nutshell but that won't really do justice to what sort of show it was. It follows the adventures of aspiring graphic artist Tim (Simon Pegg) and wannabe writer Daisy (Jessica Hynes) as they pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat. Accompanying them are alcoholic landlady Marsha (Julia Deakin), tortured artist neighbour Brian (Mark Heap), Tim’s child-like army-obsessed friend Mike (Nick Frost) and Daisy’s snooty fashion-obsessed friend Twist (Katy Carmichael) on adventures framed through a lens of pop culture film and TV references.
It’s a show that lends itself very well to being shown on the big screen given the cinematic nature of the show itself - the programme being a proving ground for director Edgar Wright who would go on to work with Pegg and Frost on Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End as well as his own films Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and Baby Driver. That said, seven hours in the one venue is quite the marathon and I’d definitely think twice before doing it on a Sunday again!
The Q&A was lively and fun - Hynes talked about the energy of youth which shines though in this; a comment Wright echoed by saying that they all new to TV and, by not knowing what they were supposed to do, got away with doing things that experience might have prevented them from doing. When asked where the characters would be now, Pegg jokingly commented that they all died in car crash before back-tracking and giving some predictions long with the cast (leading to a heated debate with hynes about whether Tim and Daisy being together for about 5 years, having a kid and then getting divorced was in keeping with the show’s “no fairytale endings” espoused at the end of series 1!). There was also a brief appearance from Reece Shearsmith who just happened to be passing and stopped in to deliver his famously odd line from the Robot Wars episode.
It’s in these kind of events that the BFI really does excel - an event for and attended by fans with a fun and lively atmosphere on all sides. Enough time to recover for the next anniversary screening...
It may well seem like it but I promise you that I’m not secretly being paid to advertise the BFI. I’m a member and I make as much use of my membership as possible. Being the nerdy comedy, TV, film obsessive that I am, it’s certainly paying off big time.
This was one of the big tickets of the month, selling out with a matter of minutes so I was certainly pleased to be one of the lucky few. This is a show that has been gathering in popularity over the years, winning critical acclaim but still not quite being on the radar for the viewing public at large. It’s very much in the realm of cult TV in that those that are into it are very much into it but it’s heading closer to mainstream success due to both the calibre of acting talent it attracts and the strength of the writing.
Inside No. 9
Series 5
The Referee’s A W****r / The Stakeout
It’s an unusual one to review as I’ll have to be as general as possible. A big part of the fun of the show is in not knowing what each episode will bring you. It slots into similar territory occupied by Tales Of the Unexpected and Twilight Zone but that;s a little reductive in terms of comparison. Given that it comes from two of the creators of The League Of Gentlemen, each episode is often shot through with relatively dark humour (not always though). Being an anthology show with the only constriction being that it takes place inside a Number 9 of some description, this has given them free reign to tell stories that slot into any number of genres as well as giving them the opportunity to experiment with style, serving up an episode in iambic pentameter and even a live episode.
These two episodes continue the strong quality streak that the show has been on for some time. Obviously, I can't really say anything about the episodes themselves yet; I can confirm that each episode is very different in terms of theme and style but no less enjoyable for it. Of the two, I slightly preferred the football-themed episode - somewhat surprisingly, I know.
The episodes were accompanied by a Q&A with co-writers and stars Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and producer Adam Tandy. BFI Q&As are always a slightly hit and miss affair but even the long rambling question that was largely more about the questioner making points about themselves than asking a question did come to enough of a point to give them something to work with. Reece Shearsmith often seems a little spiky at times and it’s hard to tell whether this is him having a bit of fun with the whole Q&A thing or genuine irritation on his part (although to be fair, he has probably been asked a lot of these questions many, many times).
There’s no official start date for the series yet so it made this preview extra sweet. The only downside being that, when it does come back, I’ve now only got four new eps to look forward to!
One of the aims of this blog these days is, wherever possible, to bring a little positivity. That’s why most of the time, it’s full of me waxing lyrical about stuff what I do love*. I guess what I’m getting at here is that this isn’t a blog about stuff that I don’t think is very good. This is a post which highlights what I consider to be gaps in my comedy obsessiveness; the things that, no matter how hard I try, I just don’t get, even though they’re generally considered to be classics or worthy of the serious comedy fan’s attention.
Seinfeld
This is a show that is often cited as favourite by many comedians and comedy writers whose work I admire. Graham Linehan** and Arthur Matthews have both cited Seinfeld as one of the main influences on their crafting of Father Ted. It’s been described as a show about nothing where a group of friends just sort of amble through their lives. I just don’t get it, however. I’ve really tried - I watched up to about halfway through the second season and it just didn’t grab me. For whatever reason on this one, I just can't see what all the fuss is about. See also Curb Your Enthusiasm on this one - tried it and just couldn't get into it. Maybe I'm just not on the same wavelength as Larry David.
Gavin And Stacey
It has a number of cast members that I think are great - Alison Steadman, Rob Brydon, Julia Davis, Adrian Scarborough - so, on paper, it feels like something I should be able to get into. However, I just can't seem to get into it. It doesn’t particularly make me laugh and I’m just not personally charmed enough by the main characters to get invested in it. Whatever it is that vast swathes of the public both over here and in the States find endearing about James Corden is, I’m sad to say, lost on me. Suffice to say that I wasn;t one of the 17 million tuning in on Christmas Day last year…
The Office (UK)
As with a lot of things, I heard about this new comedy show coming on that was a mockumentary about life in an office and thought I’d give it a go. At the time, it struck as being like a full length version of a set of sketches in one episode of The Day Today but I like a mockumentary so I was in. I watched three episodes and decided that I’d had enough. For one, much like my personal reaction to James Corden, Ricky Gervais just doesn’t tickle my funny bone (I think that Stephen Merchant is a funny man, though). For another, I have a complex relationship with so-called “cringe comedy” or things that rely on embarrassment. For me, if it just makes me feel embarrassed then it’s not comedy. I’m still trying to work out what the full equation is on this one - what makes some cringey comedy funny to me and what doesn’t for others. Interestingly, I love the US Office (once you get past the copycat first season) - largely because, for me, Steve Carrell has the likeability that Ricky Gervais doesn’t which gives him some leeway during the cringier moments.
That’s probably enough comedy excavating for one week. I’ll switch things up with something else next week.
* That becomes trickier with some of the film reviews but I generally won't bother talking about stuff that I absolutely hate or, if it is something that I wasn’t 100% bowled over by, I’ll still try and find the stuff in there that was enjoyable.
** I’m conscious that Graham Linehan has become a somewhat divisive figure now due to the views he promotes via his Twitter account. My admiration for his work on Father Ted is separate from that side of his life.
I was going to begin this blog with the phrase “comedy is a funny old business” but even I couldn’t bring myself to do that. However, I couldn't come up with a better opening today so I’m going to continue as if I did open like that but also pretend that i didn’t. What? It’s my blog - I can have my cake and eat it if I want as I wrote the cake into being in the first place.
Anyway, sometimes it takes a little while to see the funny in comedy. Oftentimes, things that I dismiss on the first viewing can end up on a rewatch being something that I absolutely love. Let’s take a look at some key examples of things that I enjoy which took more than one go at it.
Father Ted
I love Father Ted. It is hands down one of my favourite sitcoms for the sheer joy it takes in knowing the sitcom archetypes and both playing up to and puncturing them at the same time, all the while being anchored by a solid core of characters delivered by great performers. This wasn’t always my view on it, mind. Being a comedy junkie type, I watched the first episode and it just sort of passed me by. Something about priests, didn't really seem to tick my boxes. So I left it and then come the second series, everyone I knew who was into the same comedy as me was raving about it. I grudgingly decided to give it a rewatch… and the something that hadn’t clicked before suddenly went off. This was great and it was exactly my sort of thing. I can safely say that I’ve watched every episode multiple times and am likely to watch them again.
Reeves & Mortimer
I briefly touched on this yesterday but I wasn’t always the Vic and Bob fan that I am today. When their first series, Vic Reeves Big Night Out, aired on Channel 4, it left me cold. I just didn't get it. Couldn’t see the funny. When the duo switched over to BBC2 for The Smell Of Reeves & Mortimer, something made me give it another try. This time, the jokes were readily apparent and I was hooked. Good job too as Shooting Stars would one of the defining shows of my university years. I have to say, though, while I do enjoy parts of Vic Reeves Big Night Out, it’s still not my favourite of their shows (Smell Of and Shooting Stars are tied on that one, although I do also have a soft spot for the weirdness that is Catterick).
30 Rock
I watched the first couple of episodes and it just left me cold. It wasn’t that I found it unfunny - it just wasn’t connecting for me. I went back and tried again and the first couple of episodes still didn't wow me but, this time around, I started to see the show’s two strengths - the collection of oddballs who make up this sitcom family and the unlikely friendship between Alec Baldwin’s corporate man Jack Donaghy and Tina Fey’s creative whirlwind Liz Lemon. Like many Us sitcoms, it probably ends up going a little past its natural end point but it does come to a conclusion and a fittingly appropriate one for this offbeat show.
Of course, there are then the times where, no matter how hard I try, I just can't connect with something…
I think that it’s become obvious by now that, amongst the different types of comedy that I like, comedy that is silly for the sake of being silly is one of them. In fact, that’s maybe not even quite the right description. “Comedy that exists in its own universe and primarily entertains the performers first with other people being on the same wavelength a nice bonus” is probably a more accurate description for these ones.
Reeves & Mortimer
Vic and Bob have consistently been making stuff that clearly amuses each other first and foremost for a good few decades now and I’m completely on board with all of it (I wasn’t always but I’ll cover that off in another post). It’s a combination of stupid jokes, weird songs, surreal sketches and reinventions of celebrities combined with a love of naff, low fi D-list celebrity that all combine together to make something uniquely Vc and Bob. They give the impression that they do stuff because it’s fun and, if it’s not fun, they just won't do it.
The Mighty Boosh
A comedy duo who are the very definition of having their own universe, The Boosh started out on Radio 4 (with Lee Mack as a regular oddly enough - he doesn’t seem like he would necessarily be at home in a surreal setting) before transferring to BBC Three for a series which highlighted their distinctive visual aesthetic. It follows the traditional character dynamic of each one thinking that they are higher status than the other when, in reality, they’re both idiots. Like Reeves & Mortimer, they have a love of the low fi and odd drawings / animation but with a stronger love of the comedy song, particularly their distinctive “crimping” (an element which was an acknowledged influence on US cartoon series Regular Show).
Tim & Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
Adult Swim has a reputation for producing extremely surreal and really very niche shows, some of which even attract the label of anti-comedy. I would that Tim & Eric fall more into the comedy realm but they have a very distinctive comedy flavour which is not necessarily for everyone and can push things beyond the tolerance limit. That said, I do enjoy their show which is largely a spoof of ramshackle public access TV and commercials with a selection of outsider performers that they mold into a bizarre repertory company. They also attract a number of high profile guest stars such as Jeff Goldblum, Ben Stiller, Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Ted Danson and, in recurring roles, Weird Al Yankovic as Uncle Muscles and John C Reilly as Dr Steve Brule (who gets his own equally weird spin off Check It Out With Dr Steve Brule). It is definitely not to everyone’s taste but I definitely enjoy it.
The silly, daft and surreal always appeals to me - a healthy dose of nonsense is always appreciated. Sometimes though, comedy doesn’t always land on the first attempt and it takes a bit of time and exposure to sink in... (There’s your hook for next time.)
Eyes down, time to dive straight back in with a few more examples of stuff that just isn’t talked about that much anymore.
Mr Don And Mr George
I talked about Absolutely when I covered off sketch shows a while back. The spin-off-from-a-sketch-show is not unheard of - The Fast Show gave us Ted & Ralph, Grass and Swiss Toni, Harry Enfield gave us Kevin And Perry Go Large and a French And Saunders sketch gave us Absolutely Fabulous. This spin off follows the surreal adventures of Don McDiarmid and George McDiarmid (no relation) and, much like the sketches it span off from, was characterised by daft wordplay and silly sight gags (so definitely my sort of thing). It also has some pleasing episode titles like "You Can Run But You Can't Hide Your Legs", "There's Been A Thing" and "You've Eaten My Future". It only lasted for one series of six episodes which is probably why it doesn’t feature on many people’s radar.
Fairly Secret Army
I’ve always been a fan of David Nobbs’ work with The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin and A Bit Of A Do both being favourites. This is effectively a spin-off from Reggie Perrin in all but name given the main character played by Geoffrey Palmer, Harry Kitchener Wellington Truscott, is a remaned version of Reggie’s brother-in-law Jimmy. It’s not necessarily laugh out iud funny but, as always, Palmer is a delight to watch throughout. I can see why this one doesn’t get much attention nowadays - given that Tuscott is setting up (albeit laughably) a right wing army, it’s probably not a show that would go down well in the current climate, especially as they don’t exactly get their comeuppance in the end.
Interesting Fact:- The script editor on the first series was John Cleese; prior to this, David Nobbs had turned down the opportunity to work on a Fawlty Towers spin off series about Manuel.
The Mary Whitehouse Experience
This was really the show that was initially responsible for stand up comedy becoming something that was performed in stadiums in this country as it launched the careers of David Baddiel and Rob Newman , the first comedians to sell out a show at Wembley Stadium. This lead to comedy being dubbed the “new rock and roll” and arguably the popularisation of stand up as stadium event. However, very few people seem to talk about The Mary Whitehouse Experience these days. Of course, it wasn’t just Newman and Baddiel - Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis rounded out the cast. The show was a mix of stand up and sketches and was endlessly quoted during my school days (revealing my age there).
So there are a few shows that I enjoy that don’t get a lot of press and attention anymore. Time to switch it up next time with something completely different and really rather silly (but that isn’t Monty Python as, ironically, that wouldn’t be completely different around here).
Let’s pick up where we left off back before a Monty Python season and a film festival pretty much took over. Cast your minds back to the dim and distant days of August 2019 when I wittering on about the various types of comedy that had left an impact on me. Yep, that was nearly six months ago now. Time flies, etc, etc. I’d picked out some of the key influences - cartoons, Marx Brothers, Douglas Adams, Spike Milligan, Jim Henson, Monty Python (of course), mockumentaries and more - but, given that I’m a dedicated comedy nerd, that was really only the tip of the funny iceberg.
So far, I’ve dealt with a lot of the big name, obvious comedy works out there. There are, however, a number of 80s and 90s shows that loomed large in my comedy viewing but just don’t seem to get the attention nowadays. In the traditional list-style format of this here blog, let’s take a look at a few of them…
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
It’s easy to forget that a lot of the big names of UK comedy got their first real exposure on this Channel 4 improvisational comedy show.It was also the first TV show to really highlight improv to the viewing nation at large (having been a staple of comedy clubs for some time). Clive Anderson, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig and John Sessions all became household names off the back of it while guest stars included Stephen Fry, Johnathan Pryce, George Wendt and Peter Cook to name but a few. It’s still running in the States but disappeared from our screens over twenty years ago (although it arguably lives on in the likes of panel shows like Mock The Week now).
Paul Merton: The Series
At roughly around the same time that Have I Got News For You was starting out over on the BBC, Paul Merton also got two series of his own surreal sketch show back on Channel 4 in 1991. It was surreal too - he’s almost become part of the establishment now on HIGNFY, making it easy to forgot just how silly his sense of humour can be a lot of the time. Often linked by Merton doing pieces to camera from behind a newspaper kiosk inside a Tube station, the show also featured his future wife Caroline Quentin and Ben Miller in the pre-Armstrong & Miller days (plus a recurring dolphin-headed man because why not?)
Chelmsford 123
What’s becoming apparent as I write this is that t he 90s on Channel 4 were a real boom time for comedy. As well as high profile imports like Cheers, Roseanne, Frasier, etc. (more on those later), the sheer volume of homegrown stuff was impressive. I guess that’s why shows like this slightly fall through the cracks. This show somewhat filled the gap left by a show like Blackadder - the historical comedy. This show focussed on the interaction between a group of Romans and the Britons they have occupied. Written by Jimmy Mulville and Rory McGrath*, it’s a superbly silly series running to just 13 episodes over two series and following that UK trend for comedy fo being brought to a close before it can run out of steam.
Come back next time for more of the same but a bit different.
* Two of the three founders along with Denise O’Donoghue of Hat Trick productions, one of the most successful UK comedy producers, responsible for producing Have I Got News For You, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, Room 101, Father Ted, Paul Merton The Series, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Drop The Dead Donkey, Fonejacker and many more...
Given that this review is in danger of running almost as long as the year itself, it’s time to bring things to a close and get on with the business of 2020-ing. Let’s just finish off with a couple more items to round it out.
Booky Stuff
If you want to write, you really need to read (as it all goes in and forms part of that composty mulch that will bubbl away in the background and occasionally throw stuff up) and this year I upped my book-based reading game (I’m all in favour of magazine and comic-based reading obviously but there’s nothing like a bit of longform printed word to fire up the synapses). This year, I made a conscious effort to branch out more from my default sci fi and fantasy setting in order to discover some different authors. It’s always a gamble, trying out authors that you’ve never read before, but this year really paid off. Of the 55 books I read, I enjoyed them all to some degree and there were only two other books that I abandoned as I just wasn’t feeling it.
Who do I recommend then? I particularly enjoyed Toni Morrison, Colson Whitehead, Rachel Cusk, Nina Stibbe, Samantha Irby and BS Johnson with NK Jemisin and Jeff Vandermeer keeping it sci fi and fantasy (hey, I said “branch out”, not “completely ignore”). I read books by 30 authors whose books I’d never read before with a split of 29 male authors, 14 female and 2 anthologies (bearing in mind that I read more than one book by some authors). What can we conclude from that?Who knows but I do love a good stat.
Music
I started listening to new music again this year. I was always an avid music listener (and still am) but somewhere around ten years ago, I stopped really finding new music to listen to. With the advent of music libraries and streaming services, it has weirdly made me focus solely on listening to curated playlists of stuff I know rather than seeking out new stuff. So this year, I made a bit of a conscious effort to just try and listen to new things (inspired in part by James Acaster’s book Perfect Sound Whatever in which he tries to listen to everything released in 2016).
Much like with films and books, you start in the same way - you look for some best ofs / recommendations and work out from there. As a result, I have discovered King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, TWRP, Warmduscher, TEEN and by far my most listened to artist in 2019 Xenia Rubinos. It turns out that you can expand your music tastes at any time. (Plus Juice by Lizzo is a stone cold pop classic.)
So there you have it. A very much whistle stop tour to a year of pop culture experiences. The main takeaway from 2019 for me? Keep doing more of this as I’ve absolutely loved pretty much everything I’ve exposed myself to culture-wise in 2019.
Alright then, 2020, come on, let’s have it!
Alright, I watched a lot and enjoyed a lot so let’s split this up a bit. This has basically become a film blog and I wrote about quite a few of the films already so firstly, here are links to the ones I’ve already written about which are at the top of the list:-
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Being Frank
Pain And Glory
Bait
Cold Case Hammarskjold
Little Monsters
Jojo Rabbit
The Lighthouse
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants
Deerskin
Uncut Gems
Vivarium
But there were more than that - let's face it, there were a ton I watched that I didn't write about. Here’s a whistlestop tour around a few of the others that I enjoyed.
Us
In A Nutshell:- A family is menaced by what appears to be themselves…
Why’s It Good? Jordan Peele is definitely establishing himself as a name to watch in the field of horror. He’s got his own style and the blend of unsettling horror with social commentary works well for him. Add to that a great performance from Lupita Nyong’o and it’s easy to see why this one keeps cropping up on the top lists for the year.
In Fabric
In A Nutshell:- A sinister department store, an unwitting customer and a murderous dress
Why’s It Good? It’s all about the 70s style and weirdness for this one. While the ending may not quite live up to the premise, thelook, feel and imagery are so striking that it manages to carry you forward.
Parasite
In A Nutshell:- A poor family cheats their way into the home of a wealthy one
Why’s It Good? Another one that justifiably shows up on the top of the year lists and one that it’s best not to say too much about before going into it so as to enjoy the feeling of not knowing where the film is going next.
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary
In A Nutshell:- A former magician who has survived a terminal diagnosis plans a comeback… but is there more to this than meets the eye?
Why’s It Good? I remember watching The Amazing Johnathan was a kid and enjoying his routines so I was naturally intrigued to find out more about him. It’s one of those documentaries that starts off going in a certain direction then takes an unexpected left turn. In keeping with Johnathan’s persona, you’ll be questioning what it real and what is part of an elaborate trick...
The Art Of Self-Defense
In A Nutshell:- A wimpy guy comes under the spell of a charismatic karate instructor
Why’s It Good? I like a stylised and weird film and this certainly fits the bill. In a way, it reminds me slightly of the very mannered way in which characters in a Yorgos Lanthimos film speak (a recommendation from me as I do enjoy his stuff). It’s also weirdly the second film this year I’ve seen starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots.
Marriage Story
In A Nutshell:- The story of a couple going through an initially amicable divorce…
Why’s It Good? It feels like a relatively honest portrayal of good intentions rapidly spirally out of control as the central couple’s aim to divorce amicably quickly become acrimonious and it also does a good job of not laying blame at the feet of either protagonist. It is fairly bleak at times but also still manages to find some humour in the situation too.
The Souvenir
In A Nutshell:- An impressionable film student falls into a relationship with a damaged older man
Why’s It Good? The two central performances from Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke hold this one together accompanied by the low-key unshowy direction from Joanna Hogg. Another one topping the best of year lists that is worth seeing.
Monos
In A Nutshell:- In an unnamed country in an unnamed war, a group of child soldiers are tasked with guarding an important hostage
Why’s It Good? There’s a strong Lord Of The Flies to this tale of teenage soldiers left to fend for themselves heightened by a slightly surreal feel and tinge to the whole thing with their set of rules and rituals. One that stays with you for a bit afterwards.
Knives Out
In A Nutshell:- An all-star cast have an absolute blast in a modern whodunnit
Why’s It Good? It’s just a group of good actors having pure fun in a film that doesn’t have pretensions above being anything more than a slice of good entertainment and, as such, succeeds with aplomb.
Midsommar
In A Nutshell:- A group of friends attend a midsummer festival at a small Swedish community that has remained isolated for a reason...
Why’s It Good? It’s a very slow burn and very much harks back to horror films of the 70s in that it’s about the build up of atmosphere more than anything. It’s also remarkable that it’s largely set in bright daylight and still manages to be creepy. Of the cast, Florence Pugh is definitely the standout and one to watch out for.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker
OK, I’m not just going to cover this one off in a couple of lines, am I? End of a saga and all that. Let’s circle back to this one in the New Year once more people have had a chance to watch it.
OK, quite a long one today! Let’s keep it briefer next time...
I think that it’s relatively clear that I’ve watched one or two or one hundred and thirty-odd films this year so let’s cover split this one up a bit. Given that I’ve watched around ninety films that were released this year, let’s have a look at some of the themes or trends I’ve noticed.
Blockbusters Aren’t Going Anywhere
There’s been a lot of chatter about the value of the blockbuster and in particular the superhero film given their prominence at the box office and Disney’s complete stranglehold on these big budget money makers. A number of high profile filmmakers have come out against them - no real surprise there given that it’s not the sort of film they make. If 2019 has shown me one thing, though, it’s that there is room for all these types of film at the box office. I love a good blockbuster and I love a good low budget indie film. Being a film fan for me means loving all the variety that the medium can offer you. It’s like saying that you love food but only eat tuna sandwiches - why restrict yourself to one thing when there’s so much out there?
The Rise Of Smart Horror
It’s been on the upswing but 2019 seemed to me to cement the rise of the horror film once again. For a long time, horror has languished in the doldrums of either spitting out reboots of 80s slasher classics or churning out another gore porn sequel. With Jordan Peele’s Us, Ari Aster’s Midsommar, Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse and some of the less high profile entries like Color Out Of Space and Wounds, it feels like a return to a period more akin to the 70s when tone and mood where as effective a weapon in the horror arsenal as shock and gore.
The Return Of The King
Sticking with horror, Stephen King made a return to the big screen this year with adaptations of Pet Sematary, IT Chapter Two and Doctor Sleep all hitting the multiplex (to varying degrees of success). As a youth of the 80s and 90s when you couldn’t move for Stephen King adaptations, it’s an oddly nostalgic feeling.
Busy Actors
There were a few actors who cropped up more than once this year. Florence Pugh was one of those actors I’d never seen before and turned up in Fighting With My Family and Midsommar. I’d thought that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jesse Eisenberg but I watched all three films he was in this year and enjoyed them all (The Art Of Self-Defense, Vivarium, Zombieland: Double Tap). Adam Driver seems to be doing his best to turn up in almost everything too given that I saw him in The Dead Don’t Die, Marriage Story and The Rise Of Skywalker but his Marriage Story co-star Scarlett Johansson wins the prize having been in Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame and Jojo Rabbit as well.
A Strong Year
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve made a conscious effort to watch more films or because it just happens to be the case but this year has felt like a particularly strong year for film. Given that I’ve watched around 90 of this year’s films, there have been surprisingly few that I didn't enjoy and even some of those felt more like missed opportunities than films that were outright bad.
So what did I enjoy this year? Let’s get into that next time..
