StreetDance

  

I absolutely love dance films and will watch anything that revolves around dance, of any sort but I  have some real problems with the 2010 UK film StreetDance. To begin with the plot is weak and there is almost no character development. I think the main problem with it is trying to translate a Hollywood film like Step Up into the English setting but some important factors are missing namely the racial and class differences. The reason dance films work so well in the US is the harping on racial differences and poverty stricken areas. The white girl falls for the black guy and they bring ballet and hip together. Always those two dances like there aren't any other type of dance. The main characters are striving for a chance to get into Julliard the prestigious dance school. This is what does not translate into StreetDance. Yes there are the hip hop dancers and the ballet dancers and besides for the main girl Carly and one of the ballet dancers it's a black dance crew against a white dance crew but it doesn't work the same. The class differences aren't as pronounced and the lack of character development doesn't help. Carly was irritating. She was the the stereotypical blonde white girl trying to dance with only an accent to make her unique but her accent didn't match her street attitude and the consequence being I didn't find her believable as a street dancer.

However, I did find the fact that the main white girl broke up with her black boyfriend and ended up with the white ballet dancer as an interesting turn of events since the couple at the end are more often than not an interracial couple. Perhaps if the ballet dancers were posher it would have worked better but I'm not sure that would really improve the film all that much to make it stand out from the rest of the dance films out there.

The one thing that makes this film unquie is the use of past winners and contestants of the ITV reality show Britain's Got Talent. Flawless, Diversity and George Sampson all provided dance performances that helped bring a little life to the film but not much. I was deeply disappointed with the quality of dancing. Being a dancer myself I judge dance routines rather harshly, not so much for technique but for entertainment and for most of the routines I was bored. Especially in the in the final number. The final dance performance is the big finale and usually gives the main protagonists the win but StreetDance didn't get it right. The beginning and  middle of the final dance was boring and too ballet. This wasn't helped by the fact that the crowd in the film were booing. By the end it managed to pick up a bit but the dance montage of them practicing before hand was better than the actual performance.

The highlight of the film was George Sampson who played Eddie. Eddie was the only character of real interest for me. He was funny, the scene of him and Carly dancing while making sandwiches was cute although unsanitary. He kept popping up wanting to dance but not given the chance to until the very end where he was used as a stall tactic so the ballet dancers could make it because of course their auditions for the royal ballet was scheduled for the same time at the streetdance competition. Another problem with the film since spending all that time rehearsing and practicing they wouldn't give it up for a street performance. The change in attitudes from the ballet dancers was confusing, one minute they were totally against it and the next they're giving up their auditions. Anyways the highlight and best dance routine was Sampson's, the moment the film was leading up to.

  

The final point I'd like to make is the end of the film was too abrupt. They finished their dance performance and celebrated without actually being told they had one, one of those:  it-doesn't-matter-if-we-win-because-we-danced-the-best-we-could-and-were-amazing type of moment and then the credits rolled without saying anything about the auditions but I guess since the characters didn't really matter at the beginning of the film there's no reason why they should matter at the end. The bottom line is this film is about street dancing but it lacks characters and really it lacks good dance routines. It was made original in 3D but I'm not sure that would make it any better and I don't have much hope for the sequel due out in 2012.

15 Storeys High

 

The first series of 15 Storeys High is amazing, I couldn't stop laughing. The second series wasn't as good but it was still really funny. Vince (Sean Lock) is a grumpy guy who works as a lifeguard and lives in a council flat with Errol (Benedict Wong) an optimistic and very friendly guy. Lock and Wong work really well together and its a nice balance. The series has a strange tone to it. It's really slow and has these weird vignettes of the other people living in the council flats. It has some of the same awkwardness of The Office but it's actually funny. One of my favorite bits was when Errol is in the bathroom and starts tearing at the wallpaper eventually tearing it all down and you're just sitting there thinking why he's done it, the same reaction he has, but at the same time can see yourself doing the same thing. But I think my absolute favorite episode is Blue Rat where Vince gets all this cheap food including an energy type drink called Blue Rat - "all the energy of a rat trapped in a can." Needless to say, Vince gets a little crazy and hilarity ensues. 

Confetti

Confetti was a 2006 mockumentary about three couples competing for the best original wedding. Mockumentaries can be good and bad but this one is definitely in the good category. First off the cast is amazing, Jimmy Carr, Martin Freeman, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman, Alison Steadman, Julia Davis and Jason Watkins. Most of whom are known for their comedy. The big surprise for me was Jason Watkins who played a very camp wedding planner which he was excellent at but it's a long way from the vampire character from Being Human that I'm used to. It was a fun film and at times the sense of a mockumentary was lost which was a good thing, you forgot that it was a mockumentary which I feel added to the enjoyment of the film. I think my favorite part was when Jimmy Carr got into the elevator with the sister of one of the brides. It so fits his persona on the shows he hosts that, that made for a really funny moment, at least for me. 

The Duchess

 

The Duchess is a great film, very moving and unexpectedly emotional. The film came out in 2008 starring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes and follows the life of the Duchess of Devonshire stuck in loveless marriage, forced to live with her husband's mistress and give up her love for her children. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started watching it but I remember the film didn't do so well. I had no prior knowledge of the events but I like both Knightly and Fiennes so I thought I would give a shot and I'm glad I did. This has to be one of Knightly's best performances that I've seen and I connected with her on an emotional level. I felt she was really in-tuned with the character and showed a believable growth throughout the film especially when it came to the children. Her performance was almost understated but that really worked well for the film. However, I was a little disappointed with Fiennes but I think it might have been the fault of his character, but I thought he was underused. He's such a great actor but he was quite forgettable. He was successful in not allowing any redeeming qualities to be found in the Duke but I found him not very present in his role. The soundtrack really added to the emotional element. It was beautifully shot and the scenery didn't hurt. It was definitely a moving film and I was bawling by the end.

A sad story done exceptionally well.

The Guard

The Guard is a fantastic film! The tone is a bit strange. The film is a strange mixture of slowness and comedy. The way it was shot was intriguing and the use of space was really well done. Characters standing on opposite sides of the frame and the camera being really close. Brendan Gleeson puts in a stellar performance and Don Cheadle is a good match and plays the straight laced agent well.

 

The principal baddies were also very enjoyable and made the film really come together. They weren't typical baddies, very unorthodox which made them interesting and I think a lot of the credit has to go the comedy. Liam Cunningham was a highlight for me. And Mark Strong just tends to pop up in different films and in this one he seems a little out of place but yet fits at the same time. I would recommend this film to everyone. I haven't laughed that much at a film or had such a great theater experience for a long time. It's also not your typical Irish film, no super sad three boxes of tissue ending. The ending doesn't necessarily spell everything out for you but it still has an ending that you know what happens without the film having to actually show you. It's not a 'Hollywood" ending.

The trailer really made me want to watch the film but I was a bit worried that the trailer showed the entire film with all of the funny bits, but even though you know the jokes are coming it's even more funny in the experience of the film itself.

8 Out of 10 Cats

 

Jimmy Carr hosts a current news comedy panel show on polls and statistics with two teams of three with team captains. Sean Lock had been there from the beginning but the other team captain has changed from Dave Spikey for the first four series, Jason Manford until series 10 and now Jon Richardson. I enjoy the show, I love Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock and some the guest are really funny. David Walliams has really grown on me from this show although I'm still unsure of what to think of him. However, I have come to realise that the show could basically be a radio show. It doesn't really have to be watched just listened to. It also gets a little boring if you watch television like I do and just binge on it cause Jimmy Carr says the same thing every episode introducing the rounds. It's a great show to listening to something while doing something else, not all your attention has to be on the show. It was strange to begin with because I was watching shows from 2005 so everything that was going on was old news but it was kinda cool to see what we were talking about and what was important then as opposed to now. It was almost more fun to watch the old episodes then to watch the current ones strangely.

Sean Lock is a great team captain and I thoroughly enjoy him. Dave Spikey was okay but wasn't anything great. I could take him or leave him really. Jason Manford I've liked the most matched with Lock mainly because Manford is more upbeat to Lock which creates a nice balance. I like Jon Richardson and he's funny but he has sort of the same type of humor as Lock so the show becomes more downbeat and there isn't that nice balance Lock had with Manford.  

The Blood on Satan's Claw

 

The Blood on Satan's Claw is a strange film to say the least. It's very seventies and I was constantly reminded of Jesus Christ Superstar while watching it. It's a horror film with a mix of folklore. There were creepy moments but as far as horror goes it was fine. Of course the walk home after watching it was a little unnerving when a gate started to creek. Some of the shots were amazing and really well done. Interesting images that added to the strangeness of the story. 

  

There isn't really much to say about it (I do admit it's been a while since I saw it so I've forgotten a lot of what I had to say about it). It's not a film I would normally want to watch or actively seek but there was something about it that made it enjoyable in a weird way. I think the cinematography is what really drew me in. The story of kids going crazy worshiping the devil was a ridiculous story but it reminded me of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. 

 

Would I Lie to You?

  

Would I Lie to You? another British panel show that is absolutely amazing. Angus Deacon hosted it for the first two series and Rob Bryon have hosted it from the third series. Although Angus Deacon was alright I do enjoy Rob Brydon the most as he's more well funny but more relaxed than Deacon who remains newsreporterish. David Mitchell and Lee Mack are team captains. Basically each of the teams read out statements that they have to convince the opposing team are true which is made harder by the fact that they haven't seen the statements before and so its basically thinking on their feet. The show has introduced and phased out different rounds of the show throughout the progression of the series. My favorite rounds are the home truths where it's just statements and Who Am I To You where a guest comes on with a relationship with one of the team members. When I started the show I already really like Rob Brydon and David Mitchell but the show also really made me like Lee Mack. He kinda grows on you once you get past his loudness. 

It is just another British comedy panel show but it's entertaining. I do worry sometime about how far it will go with keeping the team captains the same. Not that I want that to change but I guess I feel as if my life is so boring when some of the statements they read are actually true. The show constantly makes me try to think of something that I've done that just sounds ridiculous to not be true and I don't come up with much which is a little depressing but I still love the show and cannot wait until the next series airs. It's such a fun concept and you'll be sure to laugh at least a bit.

The best episode is series 4 episode 3 with Keeley Hawes and Stephen Mangan on David's team and Kevin Bridges and Brian Cox. To start with I do not like Keeley Haws really for horrible grudge holding reasons but this story was hilarious. 

 

And Kevin Bridges story was just as funny if not more so. 

Lip Service

 

Lip Service premiered on BBC three in 2010 and is basically a Scottish version of The L Word but with more drama. Although the main cast are lesbians the show is more concerned about Frankie finding out her past than a focus on sexuality. This is good for the portrayal of lesbians on television but I think the show was marketed in the wrong way so when I started watching I was expecting something else. It's a heavily dramatic show that I wasn't really ready for perhaps. I tried to keep up with it when it was airing but lost interest and just recently went back to watch it all. The history between Frankie and Cat made the show interesting but it was all leading up to their affair at the end which was a little anti-climatic because it was at the end and there were no repercussions. It might be a personal issue because I dislike watching films or shows with affairs and cheating so it was hard for me to really identify with the characters. And Frankie was just so screwed up and wasn't regretful to the point that she changed her behaviour and I just lost interest her as a character. I wouldn't continue with the series.

The IT Crowd

  

'Have you tried turning it off and on again?' I recently re-watched all four series of The IT Crowd. When I first watched I had just started venturing into British comedy and it was the first three series was on Netflix so I thought I would give it a try and then when it was recommissioned for a fourth series I kept up with it. At first I didn't like the fourth series as much but it's a lot funnier the second time around. Really the show improved with my knowledge of British comedy and news so some of the jokes which I didn't get the first time around I got the second time around.

I still don't like either of the bosses, especially Douglas played by Matt Berry. I remember watching Berry in The Mighty Boosh and not liking him there either. I'm just not a fan of that type of comedy. It's loud absurd and not funny. It's the awkward comedy reminiscent of The Office that I just don't enjoy watching. Of course after watching the Mighty Boosh it's funny to see all the crossovers: Berry, Ayoade and Noel Fielding. Fielding as Richmond was one of my favorite characters but Richard Ayoade as Moss is amazing! This was my first introduction to Katherine Parkinson and everything I have seen her in after this I feel is the same character although I like her best in this role.

The show is funny and I enjoy it, I mean I've watched it twice now all the way through and I think it's a lot better than some of the stuff they have on tv now but there's something about it that I can't really articulate that doesn't make it amazing. There's something that seems to be lacking in its construction. It's just a little out of sync. Of course having said that I would still recommend it.

Show Me the Funny

  

Hosted by Jason Manford, Show Me the Funny, the UK reality show saw a battle of 10 comics for a prize of headlining a tour, bringing out their own DVD and cash. It's basically the UK version of the American show Last Comic Standing with its own pros and cons. However I think the subject works really well in the UK setting as opposed to the US because comedians are a staple on British television whereas in the US you have to have cable in order to watch comedians and they're not as known.  The format of the show, watching the comics go through tasks with only seeing bits of their routines made the beginning of the series a little boring. The judges and Manford were more funny than the comics which was not a good sign for the aspiring comics. I was originally excited for the show because Alan Davies was a judge and the guest judges were people I knew from watching QI. Most of the time its too much of the judges but this has got to be one of the only reality shows were I wanted to see more of the judges and host. I was a little skeptical of Kate Copstick as a comic comedian. I don't really understand the concept, comedy is such a wide range that I think it would be hard to properly evaluate a comic that other people think are hilarious but you just don't get their comedy. I guess there has to be a lot of value judgement or maybe there needs to be no value judgement. Either way she kinda grew on me but she was definitely taking up the 'Simon Cowell' position that every reality show has to have, apparently. My main complaint is that the routines were truncated. I think the show could have been approved if more of the routines had been shown/. At the beginning this was a show about comedians that wasn't particularly funny and the judges and host was the only reason for watching. 

The final episode was done live where the people voted instead of the judges which I though was a strange change from the rest of the show where it was the judges who had a say. Allowing each of the comics to have the full five minutes in the final was nice, although I think the final was a little too long and dragged on. Either the comedians needed longer sets, other things needed to happen in the show like guest stand ups from judges, or really the show just needed to be shorter. Manford did his best to keep things moving. His London riot jokes didn't seem to go down to well at the beginning but the audience eventually grew to like them.

The final allowed each of the remaining comics Tiff, Dan and Pat the full 5 minutes to perform instead of getting only snippets. Tiff went first and she had a great set. I laughed it was enjoyable but it wasn't really a stand out performance. Previous weeks I think she had better material and I think going personal was good but not good enough. She came last. Dan went second and I loved his set the best. I think it was well organized and funny although he did pause a lot which was a bit annoying. Dan was the one comic I've liked from the beginning and I was super disappointed when he bombed to the Welsh rugby crowd but I still wanted him to win and thought he had the best set of the final. Pat closed the show and still stuck with a little bit of warm up which I thought was good considering the last show where he did no warm up he didn't really do as well. However I found his material the least funny of the three and I hated him thanking everyone after every round of applause. It took away from performance and inhibited my enjoyment of his set. After all the votes were counted Pat came out the winner. It will be interesting to see who among the comics, if any actually become successful stand ups or if they merely continue playing to rooms above pubs. More importantly, will Show Me the Funny return? I'm not sure if it's got enough life in it to actually continue but stranger things have happened.

My Fake Fiance

/ 

As I sat down to watch my Fake Fiance I wasn't expecting a work of cinematic genuis for a number of reasons. Mainly because it was a made for TV movie produced for ABC the Disney/Family channel of American network television amd as it began I wasn't really disapointed. The acting wasn't amazing and the dialogue left something to be wanted. However, it didn't stop me from watching and as the movie progressed my film snobbery faded into the background and I found the story rather enjoyable.

There is nothing exceptional about the story. It involves a fairly common and predictable storyline. Jennifer (Melissa Joan Hart) has all of her possessions, minus two boxes of pillows, stolen while Vince (Joey Lawrence) owes a 15,000 gambling debt to 'The Monkey.' There is no doubt that Jennifer and Vince will by the end of the movie fall in love for real but on the most basic level that is why it's so enjoyable. This film is about pure story. It wasn't a film that made me think but it didn't let me forget, as I'm still thinking about it a day later when my usual retention of films is only a few hours.

The problem I had with it, which isn't necessarily specific to this film and more widely applied to romantic films in general is the representation of the two leads falling in love. There are several shots of Vince looking longingly at Jennifer and you feel connected with him emotionally when he's playing with the kids but you don't get the reverse. There aren't shots of Jennifer falling for Vince so the proposal at the end and the declaration of love isn't really that belivable coming from her.

Yes the story could have been more developed and the dialogue greatly improved and even the acting more genuine but overall, it was a fun family film for the romantic at heart.

Primeval Series 5

  

When I last wrote about Primeval, series 5 was just beginning and was wondering if it was going to be better than ever. Now that Primeval has finished I would say that it has overcome the difficulties that were holding it back in the last series but I still have reservations. Finally everything came out about Phillip and Connor was back on the side of good, not that he was ever bad but now he's just better informed. The last two episodes were fantastic. The enormity of what was happening added to the drama of the series and made me want to go back as each episode progressed. I loved the way they brought Emily back and I think she's a great match for Matt. Everything was going so well. Connor being sucked into the giant anomaly to be saved by Matt and Abbie. I was definitely on the edge of my seat as I know from experience this show is not afraid to kill of main characters. I absolutely loved the marriage proposal that Abbie said to Connor and their whole interaction. I might go a little academic now but I loved the gender reversal of their relationship and it was so fitting that Abbie asked Connor and not the other way around. Abbie is definitely the one who wears the pants in their relationship and she even carries a gun. She's a kick-ass woman and we need more of those on television. I'm still not a fan of Jess she's too damsel-in-distress for my tastes but Lester is great as ever. 

The future of the series is still not known although their may be a spin off in Canada of all places which I will be keeping an eye on. There was talks about there being a movie but I really just want the series to continue as a series. But with all the time and channel changes things aren't looking to good. It's been cancelled once before. Only time will tell I guess. 

Now I haven't forgotten my reservations and they really hit me the last few minutes of the last episode which kind of ruined a great series that had overcome most of its problems but also questions another series. I was sad to see Matt drive in the car to explode the anomaly and I cried along with Emily but then he reappears oblivious to how he survived. Why did he have to drive in the first place rather than just setting the car on automatic pilot so to speak? The answer came in those last minutes as Matt is faced with himself saying he has to go back. If only they hadn't done that it would have been perfect! 

Oh the woe I suffered! 

I understand the need for it, to give a nice lead in a mystery for another series but with the series' future as yet undecided they could have cut it off as they were all going off to fight another anomaly but they just had to have that open lead. Really that's the curse of television. If you don't know if your show is going to be cancelled do you leave a possible thread to be picked up if the show isn't cancelled or do you wrap everything up nice and neatly at the high possibility of the show being cancelled so viewers like myself aren't left hanging? The choice they're left with, as with other science fiction shows though that have been cancelled before the story could be finished, is to make the next series into a comic book.

Ghostwatch

 Recently at a conference I had the opportunity to watch a screening of the BBC 1992 drama, Ghostwatch. Following the screening there was a question and answer session with the writer Stephen Volk. Going into the screening I had never heard of Ghostwatch and had no idea about the controversy surrounding it so it was really interesting to get it all at once and have the writer there to explain what had happened. Initially the show was going to be a six part series detailing other haunted houses and events culminating in this final show but the BBC said they would only do one episode. Although the show was a scripted drama it went out as 'live' and had the air of War of the Worlds about it. Some viewers didn't realize that what they were seeing wasn't really happening and there were a lot of complaints made towards the BBC after it aired. Sarah, the woman who was in the house had to go on television quite soon after the show aired to prove that she was still alive. The decision to use real broadcasters such as Michael Parkinson helped add to the verisimilitude of the show and I think would add to the panic people were feeling. 

The show is set up as the crew is visiting the most haunted place in Britain on Halloween. A family is being harassed by a ghost they call Mr. Pipes. Time is spent inside the house documenting what's happening, talking with experts in the studio, taking phone calls from viewers, watching footage of previous work with the ghost and the family that the expert has been doing and talking to the crowd gathered outside the house in question. Really it's not much different from the kinds of shows they have on now that investigate the paranormal. 

I found it really fascinating and I think going into it without any preconceived notions helped but learning about the controversy the show provoked I think makes the show more interesting than if it was simply ignored and was just a show I happen to find. Maybe with all the haunted stuff that on tv now, that wasn't there in 1992, ruins the idea of the show as a mockumentry because this kind of show now exists for real (as in other shows don't present their material in mockumentary form). It's a different form of mockumentary though than to what we're used to now with things like The Office and it harkens back to War of the Worlds. Blurring the lines between real and fiction but an in intelligent way that works really well. The controversy that grew from it really just goes to show how much people believe what they see on tv to be true. 

Limbo

Limbo, a 1999 film by John Sayles has an open conclusion which I immediately dislike but I didn't have to watch for the anti-climactic ending to come down on the other side of liking this film. It was slow, and maybe television has ruined me for films as I aspect things to happen quickly so the problem can be resolved within the hour time limit. Nothing seemed to happen and too many things were introduced and never followed through with. The back story of the main character could have made an interesting film however it was pushed aside for some weird survivor story. David Strathairn does nothing the entire time and is boring to watch. I loved him in Good Night and Good Luck but he was actually acting in that film. In Limbo he just sits there looking glum but doesn't portray anything that is remotely interesting. The only exciting reveal was that the daughter was making up the story she was reading in the journal which I knew was going to happen so that took away from the excitement anyways. I also don't really know how she got sick, a hole in the script there. All of a sudden she's deadly sick and could possibly die. IMDb describes it as:

'Unconventional narrative about the interactions amongst a group of people in a small town in Alaska, each of whom has guards a secret.'

This film could have been about so many things; the fishing industry in Alaska, an ex-fisherman overcoming his past to fish again, or even a complicated love triangle between ex-fisherman and a mother and daughter. All of these eventual narratives were begun in some way or other but never followed through leaving us with plots of several different narratives going nowhere all in one film. The icing on this particular cake is the open ending which I cannot stand in films. I don't mind a film making me think about things but I have come for a story that should traditional have a beginning a middle and an end. This film gives me a story where the last page has been ripped out forcing me to draw my own conclusion as to whether or not our three fated protagonist get off the island or die. It begs the question 'did they just run out of money? Or are they just lazy?' 

Now it was pointed out to me that the title of the film is 'Limbo' which would lead to an assumption that this is a plausible ending for a film of that title and I really have no defense of that except I hate it and won't be watching it again and it has really not endeared me to John Sayles either.