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DWaterson
Reviews
Bonekickers (2008)
Extraordinary.
Bonekickers is easily the worst BBC programme of 2008. That much is obvious: absurd, illogical, incomprehensible story lines; huge plot-holes and plot twists that make no sense; awful, cringe-worthy dialogue; downright wrong archaeology.
Yet, somehow I am compelled to watch it, week after week. Like a drug, it keeps me coming back for another hit, despite knowing how harmful it is to my braincells.
Quite simply, Bonekickers is the most hilarious show in ages. Utterly, insanely preposterous, once you stop taking it seriously it's incredibly funny. Treat each dreadful line of dialogue and each implausible coincidence as a joke -- or better still, a drinking game -- and you'll soon realise how fun this show can be.
Popetown (2005)
Slightly less offensive than "Father Ted"...
Considering the furore that surrounded BBC3's decision not to broadcast this flagship animated series, after protests from Catholic groups, two main issues arise:
1) Is it offensive? 2) Is it entertaining?
In response to the first, I suppose that depends on whether you regard religion as a suitable target for satire. In the case of Popetown, the satire is marginally less scathing than "Father Ted" (1995). Bob Mortimer plays Father Nicholas, the long-suffering back office clerk whose main duty involves satisfying the whim of the infantile, childish Pope, played by Ruby Wax. To help him out, he can depend on the dotty Irish nun Sister Marie (a sort of Mrs Doyle type housekeeper), and to hinder his best efforts he has the evil machinations of the three money obsessed Cardinals. Minor characters, such as the svelte, vixen-like TV presenter Sister Penelope, and the creepy, animal-mad Father Bosch, provide additional plot twists and side jokes.
It is quite evident from the series that Popetown is not based on the real Vatican, but is a parody of it; characters and places do not match up directly with real life, and, in the one episode where Father Nicholas leaves the familiar walls of 'Popetown', he appears to be in a crime and drug ridden New York, not Rome. Furthermore, the Pope is clearly not John Paul 2.0, or Benedict XVI for that matter - he has the maturity of a 7 year old, likes bouncing on his pogo-stick, and prefers horror movies to sermons. This is not real!
If I had to pick one genuinely offensive characteristic, it is the stereotyping of all the Popetown tourists as Japanese camera-flashing stick characters, speaking a faux 'oriental' language. This I found a little uncomfortable.
So, we come to the second question: Is Popetown actually any good? Well... it's not bad. As an animated comedy, it's nowhere near the comedy calibre of The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, or any of the benchmarks. As a religious satirical comedy, it doesn't hit the level of Father Ted. The jokes are amusing, but not laugh-out-loud. Animation quality is fine, with some scenes being in 3D; but occasionally, roughness shows. Voice-over quality is excellent, as you'd expect from the all-star cast, though Ruby Wax's Pope voice is intentionally irritating. Overall, therefore, Popetown is definitely worth seeing, but be prepared to be mildly disappointed; and, considering this is a DVD-only release in the UK, it might be worth waiting for someone else to shell out their money and borrowing theirs.
Tittybangbang (2005)
Dreadfully disappointing
With the quick-fire sketch show format of "The Fast Show" (1994), the risqué crudity of "The Catherine Tate Show" (2004), and the random absurdity of "Little Britain" (2003), clearly BBC3 were convinced they were onto a winner with this new all-female production.
Except, er, somewhere someone forgot to put the jokes in. Painfully unfunny, so far the programme has desperately relied on the repetition of catchphrases which weren't amusing in the first place. Maybe the quality will improve as the series progresses, but at the moment I'm not sure I've got the will to stick with it.
Some of the characters may have potential, and there were occasional flashes of inspiration; however these were more often due to skillful camera-work and editing of the scenes than any dialogue in the actual sketch that was taking place. Overall, if for some reason you crave an all-female sketch show, stick with "Smack the Pony" (1999); this was very weak indeed.
Cold Fish (2001)
Doesn't live up to the hype on the box
Well, I just rented 'Cold Fish' from Blockbuster, being in the mood for something edgy and slightly disturbing. Did it live up to this promise? Well, not really. The first problem is the acting. From the outset, the standard is generally poor overall, however I found the characters of Jo (Alex, the lead's ex-junkie girlfriend) and Jon Henley (one of the baddies) the most distracting. Both actors are very wooden and their line delivery is very stilted; I started hoping Jo might go back on the drugs if it might deliver a bit of emotion in her performance! Other reviewers have criticised the lead actor Jon-Paul Gates (Alex), and, whilst it was hardly Oscar-winning, I didn't find him too off-putting.
The second problem was the supposedly shocking and edgy subject matter. Well, maybe I'm acclimatised to this sort of thing, but it seemed no more risky than watching the BBC evening news. Yes, they used archive clips of genuine executions and disasters; but these have been played a hundred times over already on TV and in documentaries, and their use in a film seemed nothing more than repetitive. By the end I was wondering what content was supposed to justify the 18 rating of the film.
Overall, the plot is interesting enough to sustain you for an hour and a half, and whilst the denouement is rather predictable, it's not that bad a film; just a bit lacking in places and severely restricted by the clearly very low budget.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Laugh-out-loud Funny
Perhaps not being an American myself, I can find it easier to laugh at the image of 'stupid foreigners' more than Americans might themselves; certainly, Americans are not particularly known for their self-deprecating nature. Therefore, I found this black comedy very amusing indeed and well worth an hour and three-quarters of my time.
The humour works very well, and is extreme in its parodies of the lengths that people will go to to win, even in such a pathetic contest as a beauty pageant. Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley) is the super-bitch mother of Becky (Denise Richards), her perfect sugar-princess daughter. The richest family in a small town, Gladys is desperate that her daughter should win the beauty contest as she had done herself years before. However, one other competitor stands in Becky's way: Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), a poor but talented trailer-park resident, stands a chance of beating her to the title. A series of bizarre deaths follows, and so foul play becomes a possibility.
That anyone could really find this offensive or even blasphemous surprises me enormously - perverse gun laws, invocation of religion for personal gain, greed and superficiality are all surely legitimate targets, and the film hits them right on the head. It is moral hypocrisy which is satirised, not beliefs themselves.
The mock-umentary style works well, with shaky hand-held camera effects, and allows the back-chat and scheming to be shown clearly, rather than just the outwardly positive image the subjects would wish to otherwise portray.
While some might (with good reason) criticise the ending as rushed and unnecessary, it does at least tie up the story properly with the result the audience hopes for, and doesn't spoil the effect too much.
All in all, good fun, and don't be offended.
So Graham Norton (1998)
Very, very, very, rude, but very, very, very funny TV show
Graham Norton, the not-very-famous (yet) camp, gay, actor/interviewer presents his own chat-show in his inimitable style. Recently he has interviewed top stars such as Ursula Andress, Grace Jones, Billy Zane, and, most famous of all, Joan Collins, who have all taken the saucy style of interview (with slots such as "Celebrity Swearing" and "Audience Confessions") in their stride, with only slightly red faces. The most famous of the segments on the show is the "phoning up" part, where Graham has celebrity interviewees phone porn/chat lines or pizza takeaways, encouraging them to ask the unsuspecting person on the other end of the line as rude questions as possible. The most successful of these has been the "Miles O'Keeffe" ritual humiliation, which has now become a regular slot each week on the show. Graham now insists on telephoning, live, "Tarzan, the Ape-Man" actor (with Bo Derek) every week! Have fun, and don't be too offended!
The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery (1995)
Not as good as the original
Though sequels are always a problem, this one tries very hard, but just doesn't quite make it. Dean Erikson is the disaster; in the original, Tim Curry made Gabriel a funny, smart, likeable character, but here Erikson's voice is just too flat and acting too wooden to raise a giggle. The film quality is remarkably good for FMV and a wonderful libretto was written specially for an opera section, but Erikson does drag the whole thing down. Otherwise, the acting is usually quite (surprisingly) decent, and the sound quality is variable, but generally acceptable. The puzzles, however, are ridiculously easy; I completed it in 3 days. Let's just hope the return to the GK1 style for GK3 will help was some of this one's aberrations under the carpet. Overall, it's all just rather too serious and sombre to be great fun.
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
Brilliantly funny!
Much funnier and far more absurd than the original, you'll have to watch it a few times before you notice all the clever sight-gags.
Favourite quote?:
- "Of all the movies in all the cinemas in all the world, you had to come walking into this one."
- "It's the sequel. I had to come."
How Charlie Sheen keeps a straight face with such ridiculous lines as many of these I don't know. Enjoy!
Addams Family Values (1993)
A rare occurrence - a sequel that's better than the original!
It's a pity that this was one of Raul Julia's last movies, because he really is excellent in what is a better sequel than the original movie of the old '60s TV show. Angelica Huston is also creepily funny, and slinks about in black dresses just as we expect Morticia to. Thing is very well portrayed. An excellent try. Just wait 'till you see baby Pubert with a mustache!