Remember Kinvig, Clone, Not With A Bang? These are the UK sci-fi sitcoms you’re unlikely to see on comedy best-of lists…
With E4 sci-fi comedy commissions, Tripped and Aliens, and in-development Channel 4 projects, Space Ark and Graham Linehan/Adam Buxton collaboration The Cloud, in the works, a new crop of sci-fi sitcom could be making its way to UK TV.
Making funny sci-fi on a small-screen budget is tough enough without the additional pressure of having to attract viewers more traditionally down-to-earth in their sitcom tastes. Sci-fi sets and effects can be seen as prohibitively expensive by comedy commissioners (which is perhaps why the best UK sci-fi sitcoms of recent years has been on BBC Radio), and the genre’s niche status doesn’t scream mainstream hit. Over the years, one or two stand-outs have managed to straddle the sci-fi and comedy TV worlds, but plenty more have stumbled in the attempt.
With E4 sci-fi comedy commissions, Tripped and Aliens, and in-development Channel 4 projects, Space Ark and Graham Linehan/Adam Buxton collaboration The Cloud, in the works, a new crop of sci-fi sitcom could be making its way to UK TV.
Making funny sci-fi on a small-screen budget is tough enough without the additional pressure of having to attract viewers more traditionally down-to-earth in their sitcom tastes. Sci-fi sets and effects can be seen as prohibitively expensive by comedy commissioners (which is perhaps why the best UK sci-fi sitcoms of recent years has been on BBC Radio), and the genre’s niche status doesn’t scream mainstream hit. Over the years, one or two stand-outs have managed to straddle the sci-fi and comedy TV worlds, but plenty more have stumbled in the attempt.
- 7/23/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Just what we need, another cute kids’ movie about a lovable, talking animal. Children can’t seem to get enough of these movies, despite how dreadfully awful they usually are, by most adults’ standards. Spy on parents some time while they treat their little ones to these chatty creature films and you’re likely to find most of them struggling to grin and bear the experience. Yeah. See what I did there?
Normally, you’d be hard pressed to find me caught anywhere near one of these movies. There are, of course, always those rare exceptions that lead you to eat that bitter N word… “never.” This is why I try and never say never about a film, unless its in the title. Paddington (2014) is a family-friendly film, and by that I mean its friendly for the entire family, children and adults. The film is based upon the beloved books by author Michael Bond,...
Normally, you’d be hard pressed to find me caught anywhere near one of these movies. There are, of course, always those rare exceptions that lead you to eat that bitter N word… “never.” This is why I try and never say never about a film, unless its in the title. Paddington (2014) is a family-friendly film, and by that I mean its friendly for the entire family, children and adults. The film is based upon the beloved books by author Michael Bond,...
- 1/16/2015
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong’s TV series is shooting in and around London for a six-part series this autumn.
Jon S. Baird and Sally El Hosaini [pictured] will direct the upcoming series of Babylon, currently shooting in and around London.
Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong’s six-part series follows the metropolitan police’s director of communications (Brit Marling) as she attempts to drag the force into the new media age.
James Nesbitt, Adam Deacon and Jill Halfpenny are among the cast reprising their roles from the pilot episode which aired in February.
Baird, director of the award-winning Filth, directs the first three episodes, while El Hosaini, winner of Best Newcomer at the London Film Festival for My Brother the Devil, will direct the final three episodes.
BAFTA winner Jon Brown joins the writing team for two episodes of the series.
Babylon is created and executive produced by Danny Boyle, Robert Jones, Armstrong and Bain, and is produced...
Jon S. Baird and Sally El Hosaini [pictured] will direct the upcoming series of Babylon, currently shooting in and around London.
Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong’s six-part series follows the metropolitan police’s director of communications (Brit Marling) as she attempts to drag the force into the new media age.
James Nesbitt, Adam Deacon and Jill Halfpenny are among the cast reprising their roles from the pilot episode which aired in February.
Baird, director of the award-winning Filth, directs the first three episodes, while El Hosaini, winner of Best Newcomer at the London Film Festival for My Brother the Devil, will direct the final three episodes.
BAFTA winner Jon Brown joins the writing team for two episodes of the series.
Babylon is created and executive produced by Danny Boyle, Robert Jones, Armstrong and Bain, and is produced...
- 4/17/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
This week sees the release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the highly-anticipated sequel to last year’s blockbuster. But in the meantime, this week’s new Trailer Trashin’ column takes a look at the upcoming British comedy Cuban Fury.
Premise: A lonely sad-sack named Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) has a crush on his gorgeous new boss Julia (Rashida Jones), and the only way he can win her over is by mastering the art of dance. Good thing he used to be a child prodigy at salsa dancing – now all Bruce needs to do is rediscover his inner passion.
My take: Several times in the history of this column, I’ve featured a movie that I hadn’t even heard of before seeing the trailer in question. Such is the case with this week’s subject, the upcoming British romantic comedy Cuban Fury, which stars Nick Frost, best known from...
Premise: A lonely sad-sack named Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) has a crush on his gorgeous new boss Julia (Rashida Jones), and the only way he can win her over is by mastering the art of dance. Good thing he used to be a child prodigy at salsa dancing – now all Bruce needs to do is rediscover his inner passion.
My take: Several times in the history of this column, I’ve featured a movie that I hadn’t even heard of before seeing the trailer in question. Such is the case with this week’s subject, the upcoming British romantic comedy Cuban Fury, which stars Nick Frost, best known from...
- 11/19/2013
- by Timothy Monforton
- CinemaNerdz
Paul W.S. Anderson's next film, a historical/action/disaster movie, based on the real life events in Pompeii has picked up a distributor in FilmDistrict and now has an official release date set. Come inside for all the details and casting info.
Paul W.S. Anderson is an interesting director in that he creates some seriously cheesy and schlocky films (on a similar magnitude of Uwe Boll), but somehow they always manage to make quite a bit of money. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he pulls it all together (often with a fairly reasonable cast too). While I can't say I go into any of his films with particularly high expectations, Pompeii is one I'm keeping an eye on.
For one, the cast he's assembled so far (including Jared Harris, Kiefer Sutherland, and Carrie-Ann Moss) is pretty decent. Secondly, I'm a sucker for disaster type films,...
Paul W.S. Anderson is an interesting director in that he creates some seriously cheesy and schlocky films (on a similar magnitude of Uwe Boll), but somehow they always manage to make quite a bit of money. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he pulls it all together (often with a fairly reasonable cast too). While I can't say I go into any of his films with particularly high expectations, Pompeii is one I'm keeping an eye on.
For one, the cast he's assembled so far (including Jared Harris, Kiefer Sutherland, and Carrie-Ann Moss) is pretty decent. Secondly, I'm a sucker for disaster type films,...
- 4/10/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
By far one of the most promising comedies of 2013, Cuban Fury is based on idea by the ever-brilliant Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), and sees Frost starring alongside the brilliant Rashida Jones (Celeste and Jesse Forever), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), and Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur).
We’ve seen four videos from the set already, and now the film has debuted its fifth video blog, with O’Dowd giving us two minutes of insider access behind the scenes.
“Beneath Bruce Garrett’s shabby, overweight exterior, the passionate beating heart of a salsa king lays dormant. Only one woman can reignite his Latin fire. Spotlight hits, sweat drips, heels click – Nick Frost Is Cuban Fury.”
James Griffiths (Episodes, Up All Night) makes his feature directorial debut, with Jon Brown (Misfits, Two Pints of Lager) penning the script from Frost’s original idea, and Ian McShane (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides...
We’ve seen four videos from the set already, and now the film has debuted its fifth video blog, with O’Dowd giving us two minutes of insider access behind the scenes.
“Beneath Bruce Garrett’s shabby, overweight exterior, the passionate beating heart of a salsa king lays dormant. Only one woman can reignite his Latin fire. Spotlight hits, sweat drips, heels click – Nick Frost Is Cuban Fury.”
James Griffiths (Episodes, Up All Night) makes his feature directorial debut, with Jon Brown (Misfits, Two Pints of Lager) penning the script from Frost’s original idea, and Ian McShane (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides...
- 8/13/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Turns out I’m looking forward to a dance comedy; that might be a first. A couple of days after we heard Chris O’Dowd and Nick Frost were signed to lead Cuban Fury, Variety reports that Rashida Jones and Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur, Hot Fuzz) are also on board, with James Griffiths signed to make his directorial debut in the meantime.
While our last description of the film indicated that Cuban Fury would follow “a former teen dance prodigy (Frost) who attempts a comeback years after a rival (O’Dowd) ruined his career,” Variety’s description goes in a decidedly different direction. If you were to ask them, Jon Brown‘s screenplay revolves around a discouraged fellow who, upon meeting a beautiful, American boss (Jones), rediscovers a love for salsa music. (To be fair, this other strand could come in at some point; that remains to be seen.)
Considering they...
While our last description of the film indicated that Cuban Fury would follow “a former teen dance prodigy (Frost) who attempts a comeback years after a rival (O’Dowd) ruined his career,” Variety’s description goes in a decidedly different direction. If you were to ask them, Jon Brown‘s screenplay revolves around a discouraged fellow who, upon meeting a beautiful, American boss (Jones), rediscovers a love for salsa music. (To be fair, this other strand could come in at some point; that remains to be seen.)
Considering they...
- 5/4/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Nick Frost as an aspiring salsa dancer? I can't say I pictured it, but I also can't say I don't absolutely love the potential in a movie that has the Shaun of the Dead star doing a bit of Latin dancing. It looks like we'll see Frost's moves eventually, as he's set to star in a U.K. comedy called Cuban Fury. According to Variety, Frost has signed on to star in Cuban Fury, a film based on his own idea, which will have him playing a "down-on-his-luck man" who decides to revisit his passion for salsa dancing when he falls for his beautiful American boss. Playing said boss, Parks and Recreations' Rashida Jones. Also among the cast are Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids) and Twenty-Twelve's Olivia Coleman. Cuban Fury is written by Jon Brown and will mark the feature directorial debut for James Griffiths, whose recent TV credits include NBC's Up...
- 5/3/2012
- cinemablend.com
Chris O'Dowd is on his way to becoming a very big deal. The Irish comic actor first came to notice, alongside Richard Ayoade, in cult TV show "The It Crowd," and after early movie appearances in "The Boat That Rocked" and "Gulliver's Travels," has gone from strength to strength. He got to show dramatic range in "The Crimson Petal and White," and after playing the swoonsome cop love interest in "Bridesmaids," has become something of a favorite of the Judd Apatow gang with roles in "Friends With Kids," "This Is Forty" and "Girls" all coming up.
O'Dowd's plenty busy at the moment: he's written and is co-starring in "Moone Boy," an autobiographical comedy-drama series for Sky in the U.K., and is shortly to take a supporting role in "Calvary," John Michael McDonagh's follow-up to "The Guard." And it looks like he's teaming with another popular comic star and...
O'Dowd's plenty busy at the moment: he's written and is co-starring in "Moone Boy," an autobiographical comedy-drama series for Sky in the U.K., and is shortly to take a supporting role in "Calvary," John Michael McDonagh's follow-up to "The Guard." And it looks like he's teaming with another popular comic star and...
- 4/30/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
London, April 25(Ani): Young school girls who send explicit photographs of themselves by text message are putting themselves in danger of bullying and sexual abuse, child safety experts have warned.
"Sexting" will be debated by MPs later as charities warn the practice is a growing problem in Britain's schools.
Jon Brown, the head of the Nspcc's Sexual Abuse programme says sexting is putting children at risk.
"We have unearthed a lot of evidence that girls as young as 12 are being pressured into sending explicit photographs to boyfriends," the Sky News quoted him as saying.
"Once they have given someone a 'sexy' picture of themselves, they have no control over it," he added.
According to the Child.
"Sexting" will be debated by MPs later as charities warn the practice is a growing problem in Britain's schools.
Jon Brown, the head of the Nspcc's Sexual Abuse programme says sexting is putting children at risk.
"We have unearthed a lot of evidence that girls as young as 12 are being pressured into sending explicit photographs to boyfriends," the Sky News quoted him as saying.
"Once they have given someone a 'sexy' picture of themselves, they have no control over it," he added.
According to the Child.
- 4/25/2012
- by Leon David
- RealBollywood.com
Misfits, Season 3, Episode 5
Written by Jon Brown
Directed by Will Sinclair
Airs Sundays, 10pm GMT on E4
While doing community service at the local hospital, Kelly gets trapped in the body of Jen, a coma victim and the gang have to hatch a plan to get her back, but there are complications. With this episode I couldn’t help but be reminded of Heaven Can Wait or Freaky Friday in that they both feature someone in another persons body, which allows the actor to interpret them in their own way. Also this seems to be a very common occurrence within the show this season. Simon was forcefully being told what to say by Peter and Curtis’s female counterpart constantly inherits his mannerisms.
It is a plot device that works well on occasion but being this frequent in a show that already has a short run of eight episodes this season,...
Written by Jon Brown
Directed by Will Sinclair
Airs Sundays, 10pm GMT on E4
While doing community service at the local hospital, Kelly gets trapped in the body of Jen, a coma victim and the gang have to hatch a plan to get her back, but there are complications. With this episode I couldn’t help but be reminded of Heaven Can Wait or Freaky Friday in that they both feature someone in another persons body, which allows the actor to interpret them in their own way. Also this seems to be a very common occurrence within the show this season. Simon was forcefully being told what to say by Peter and Curtis’s female counterpart constantly inherits his mannerisms.
It is a plot device that works well on occasion but being this frequent in a show that already has a short run of eight episodes this season,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Yiannis Cove
- SoundOnSight
[1] Johnny Depp's fruitful relationship with Disney continues with two new projects, which Depp will be producing with Christi Dembrowski through their company Infinitum Nihil. The first is a feature adaptation of The Night Stalker, a made-for-tv vampire flick from the 1970s, while the other will tell the story of American hero Paul Revere during his famous midnight ride. Both films may yield starring roles for Depp. Read more after the jump. The Night Stalker revolves around an investigative reporter named Carl Kolchak who starts to believe that a Las Vegas-area serial killer may, in fact, be a vampire. The original TV movie, starring Darren McGavin, was such a hit that it gave rise to a follow-up titled The Night Strangler as well as a mid-'70s ABC series titled Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The show featured the title character running into all manner of supernatural creatures, from zombies to werewolves to aliens.
- 7/12/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
I have to confess my age in writing this particular review, because Johnny Carson was off the air by the time I was watching late night television (or rather, watching and appreciating it). For my generation, the names headlining the late night shows were and, with a little bit of controversy, remain Jay Leno and David Letterman. In my case, I had to familiarize myself with Carson through YouTube clips years after he’d retired. Tonight, the most complete compilation of episode’s from Carson’s 30-year-long career as host, starts 4 years into his career (1965) and spans up to 1990 (4 years short of his final bow) in a 15-disc set featuring some great moments and some of the best guest appearances (with a particular focus on comedians for this set, it would seem). It’s doubtful we’ll ever see a full set, just because the undertaking of committing that much...
- 1/24/2011
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Hustler magazine boss Larry Flynt has been awarded an injunction that prevents his nephews from cashing in on his name in the porn industry.
The publisher sued Flynt Media Group's Jimmy and Dustin Flynt for using the family name to start a new porn enterprise without his permission.
In agreeing to give Larry Flynt his day in court in September, federal judge A. Howard Matz stated that, "Given Larry Flynt's fame and (the) defendants' use of the slogan 'You Know the Name' in promoting their products, a jury could reasonably find that (the) defendants' use of 'Flynt' was a knowing use of plaintiff's name, or a use of his identity."
In filing his suit earlier this year, Larry Flynt stated he feared Jimmy and Dustin Flynt "will produce and inferior product" that would tarnish his name.
He said, "To come into the adult entertainment business and use my name not only confuses people who buy my products... it could also hurt my name."
But the brothers insisted, "It's our turn to be successful in this business."
Ironically, the Flynt boys worked for their uncle for more than a decade before the Hustler boss fired them for being unproductive.
The federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the nephews, restricting their use of the Flynt name, and now they won't be able to use it at all.
In court on Monday, it was ruled that the nephews did not have the right to cash in on their famous uncle's last name. A jury found that the name Larry Flynt was a valid and protectable trademark owned by the famous business mogul.
The new injunction also requires Jimmy and Dustin to turnover any Flynt websites utilised by the nephews, place a disclaimer on any of their websites and products, and to destroy their inventory of materials that bear the name Flynt in isolation.
Flynt's attorney Jonathan Brown says, "While Mr. Flynt regretted bringing an action against his nephews, he felt the principles involved could not be compromised, even for family."...
The publisher sued Flynt Media Group's Jimmy and Dustin Flynt for using the family name to start a new porn enterprise without his permission.
In agreeing to give Larry Flynt his day in court in September, federal judge A. Howard Matz stated that, "Given Larry Flynt's fame and (the) defendants' use of the slogan 'You Know the Name' in promoting their products, a jury could reasonably find that (the) defendants' use of 'Flynt' was a knowing use of plaintiff's name, or a use of his identity."
In filing his suit earlier this year, Larry Flynt stated he feared Jimmy and Dustin Flynt "will produce and inferior product" that would tarnish his name.
He said, "To come into the adult entertainment business and use my name not only confuses people who buy my products... it could also hurt my name."
But the brothers insisted, "It's our turn to be successful in this business."
Ironically, the Flynt boys worked for their uncle for more than a decade before the Hustler boss fired them for being unproductive.
The federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the nephews, restricting their use of the Flynt name, and now they won't be able to use it at all.
In court on Monday, it was ruled that the nephews did not have the right to cash in on their famous uncle's last name. A jury found that the name Larry Flynt was a valid and protectable trademark owned by the famous business mogul.
The new injunction also requires Jimmy and Dustin to turnover any Flynt websites utilised by the nephews, place a disclaimer on any of their websites and products, and to destroy their inventory of materials that bear the name Flynt in isolation.
Flynt's attorney Jonathan Brown says, "While Mr. Flynt regretted bringing an action against his nephews, he felt the principles involved could not be compromised, even for family."...
- 12/30/2009
- WENN
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