Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Brokeback Blog-Beg
June 9, 2010
Are you a fan of the late actor Heath Ledger? If so I could use your help.
As part of a dissertation I am working on for Sunderland University I need to carry out some audience research and that is where you might come in. If you feel able to, and are kind enough to donate the time and effort, I would be very grateful to anybody that fills in the questionnaire located on this page. Thanks in advance to anyone who does.
Anything Can Happen And It Probably Will…
February 4, 2010
Having just returned from a successful screening of this film to an appreciative audience, the time seems right to expound a little upon one of my favourite film comedies, Hellzapoppin’. This obscure title certainly deserves to be better known and here is my own attempt to make this happen.
Hellzapoppin’ tells the story – well, sort of tells the story – of a Hollywood producer trying to film a movie about Hellzapoppin‘. Does that make sense? Good. Despite his best efforts at describing a potential storyline the film is constantly hijacked by Olsen and Johnson, a master of disguise private detective and even the projectionist at the back of the very cinema in which you sit watching the film. Basically, a thin romantic subplot is used an excuse for eighty minutes on non stop puns, innovative visual gags and metatextual anarchy. No matter how many ways I think up to describe the film nothing seems to do it justice. It’s that weird. The best I can come up with is the description, “Wathching Hellzapoppin’ is like watching the Marx Brothers on speed.”
Based on a hit Broadway play, Hellzapoppin’ is the type of film to throw a lot of elements into a bucket, stir them with a big stick, and then pour the mixture into your eyeballs. Verbal gags, slapstick comedy, romance, musical numbers, fourth wall breaking, dance sequences and special effects are all incorporated and the result is one of the weirdest films ever to be produced during the ‘golden age’ of the Hollywood studio system.
Thanks to the rights to the Broadway play complicating any plans to re-release the film in America, Hellzapoppin’ has been quite difficult to see until fairly recently when it was released on Region 2 DVD. Yet, despite being so difficult to see for so long, it isn’t hard to see the influence it has exerted over certain strains of American film comedy that were to follow. In particular, parallels can be drawn between this and the work of Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs) or early efforts from the Zucker Brothers (Airplane!, Kentucky Fried Movie). Joe Dante, the director of Hollywood Boulevard, Gremlins, Gremlins 2, Matinée and Small Soldiers amongst other films, freely admits that he steals from Hellzapoppin’ in order to lace his own films with gags; his perfectly justified reasoning being if nobody has seen it, why let a good gag go to waste!
Olsen and Johnson, however, are an odd team. Their role in Hellzapoppin’ is to literally draw the viewer in to this crazy world, the humour of which relies very little upon the interaction between the two. They’re likeable, not loveable, and have no particularly distinguishing characteristics that stick in the mind. In my experience the team’s other films, while on the whole enjoyable, really strongly on strong writers to gain laughs. In fact only one of their movies, Crazy House, is generally thought of as coming anywhere near the standard set by Hellzapoppin’. Still, they must have had something, and I in know way intend to knock their performances, which are first rate. Clearly too they were capable of writing great material for themselves, as they are credited as having written the original broadway book for the Hellzapoppin’. Perhaps studios insisted on outside writers.
But I digress, simply put, more people should see this film. And now that it’s out on DVD there is no excuse. Watch it. Love it. Spread the word! I’m working on my own secret project to help raise the profile of the film in some small way.
Further Reading
Burned Up
January 19, 2010January seems to have been tough on quite a few people of my acquaintance this year. I myself often get a dose of the January blues, even though I know full well that I have next to no reason to. Perhaps its to do with the come down from Christmas. The return to work and the dark mornings that go with it abruptly become monotonous and gloomy, replacing the pre-festival excitement and wonder.
Then there’s the house, which gets far too easily squalid. Somehow, despite having six times the room I seem to have far less space to function than I did when living in one room at my parents.
Money troubles too, contribute to my current, less that merry, state of mind. Nothing serious, I must add – and you mustn’t confuse my public winges as genuine cry’s for aid! Still, things are a bit lean at the moment and this, bizarrley, plays havoc with my work ethic. I’m paying through the nose to get a Masters degree yet have felt no great inspirational urge to dash off my last two essays. Personal side projects, too, have been put on hold as I re-embark upon the seemingly never-ending quest of procrastination – of which this blog entry is a part.
Well, never mind all this. Things will get back on track soon enough I’m sure and I promise the next post shall be some rubbish about model boats with crap theme tunes.
Snow!
January 10, 2010
Recently, Illegible Me Towers (Just off the bypass, turn right after the chippy) has found itself surrounded by snow – a lot of snow – as has the rest of the UK it would seem. The extent of the snow in my particular area has left me in a bit of an odd possition; there has been enough to close the school where I work, but not enough to put a halt to public transport. As a result I’ve been able to get out and about, taking advantage of these days off. Being the sad sap that I am, the snow strewn train tracks and white fields I see pass me by as I criss-cross along the Tyne and Wear Metro system have not reminded me of Christmas cards or Holidays of yore. Instead what has been called to mind are a handful of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends episodes that were ingrained into my impressionable brain from birth to the age of about seven.
Now, I’ve written about continuing, somewhat worrying, love for this series before so I’ll not go on another rant now. Needless to say I think it’s not only one of the finest crafted children’s television series of all time, but one of the most expertly made television programmes full stop. For some reason the brilliant model work that makes Thomas such a visual treat to watch looks all the more impressive when drenched in snow. To this end I hope you enjoy some of my favourites.
BOOK UPDATE: A Cover!
January 4, 2010
My upcoming book, Marx and Remarx: Making and Remaking The Lost Marx Brothers Radio Series, now has a cover!
I still have no word on the release date but hopefully it shan’t be long before people can place orders. Until then, don’t forget that audio copies of the remaining episodes of the original Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel radio series are available HERE.
One of my new years resolutions is to update this blog more often, so stay tuned for goodies to come.
Film 2009
December 30, 2009At the end of every year someone inevitably asks me the question, “What were your favourite films this year?”
This is equally inevitably followed by the question, “Did I see such and such this year? No, that must have been the year before. Did we even see that at the pictures?”
I need very little excuse to make a list, and with this in mind I decided to keep a record of all the films I would see at the cinema this year. It doesn’t matter how old the film is, if I saw it at the pictures this year, it makes it on to the list. What follows, then, is a copy of the list along with my on the spot notes.
Films Seen at the Cinema in 2009
Inkheart – lacking something, but it had a pretty weasle
Yes Man - decent Carey comedy, nothing special.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - too long but impressive. Almost cried.
Vicky Christina Barcelona – pretty funny and interesting, Woody’s best for a while.
Watchmen – overlong but couldn’t think of anything to cut, entertaining but I can understand why some of the general public have been disappointed. I’ve never read the graphic novel.
Gran Torino – fantastic swan song for Eastwood, his The Shootist.
My Name Is Bruce – pretty funny, annoying hipsters in the audience, naff ending.
In the Loop - Consistently very funny. Fuckity bye.
Wolverine - Excellent Opening Credits. Good solid action movie. Shame about Deadpool being misused.
Star Trek – Good, solid Star Trek film. Not the best – score wasn’t brilliant and phasers were poo, but very fun. 100 times betten than Nemesis or TMP.
Star Trek x2 – Enjoyed it more second time round. Got to watch it as a cinema goer as opposed to a trekkie.
Night at the Museum 2 - Not as good as the first film but still a very enjoyable family movie. Oscar the Grouch! Balloon Doggy!
Drag Me To Hell – A proper Sam Raimi film. Scary, very funny, but most of all fun.
Terminator Salvation – Takes a long while to kick into gear and lacks a sense of humour but the final Skynet based act was damn good – especially the T800!
Synecdoche, New York – Barmy and brilliant, need to see this one again.
Moon - A very good, but not great, slice of science fiction. I look forward to the follow up as it may make the film feel more of a complete experience.
Bruno - Mediocre when compared to Borat. Seems to be preaching to the converted and probably sets the course of gay rights in America back ten years.
The Time Traveller’s Wife – An interesting story hampered by some not so good performances and a lack of distinction between time periods, or maybe that was the point.
Inglourious Basterds – A good film but way to talky and static in the opening half. Excellent nail biting finale though.
Miss March – A pretty funny effort from two of The Whitest Kids You Know, not as good as the sketch show though.
Zombieland x 2 - Thrilling and quite funny. Wish it HAD sold as a TV pilot as I’d like to see more of these characters. Sequel please.
Evil Dead 2 – Great filmed marred by awful Tyneside Cinema presentation. They projected a widescreen film squashed horizontally into a square frame. Grr.
Saw VI – Enjoyable fluff, but like all of the Saw films not a one I’m interested in watching again.
The Thing - Surprisingly plodding although the effects hold up really well on the big screen.
An American Werewolf in London - Great film that was great to be seen on the big screen. I wish this had been the first time I had seen it. Frank Oz’ first line got a good laugh, perhaps from his comic performance or perhaps because people realised this was Fozzy Bear.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Very enjoyable and barmy Gilliam epic. Had the behind the scenes story of the film been so well publicised you never would have suspected that the changing faces of Heath Ledger’s character were a salvage effort.
The Fantastic Mr Fox – Fantastic to look at, great voice work, slyly funny script but not quite up to par with Anderson’s live action work. Christ knows what the kids made of it.
Harry Brown – Although enjoyable – Caine is fantastic – this is almost a Daily Mail wank fantasy and towards the end the gang violence gets so silly it feels like you have slipped into Children of Men. The camera work, editing and particularly the sound design are top notch.
It’s A Wonderful Life – As good as ever and, for once, a flawless digital print.
And now to the first annual Illegible Me Film Awards!
Best Film 2009
Gran Torino
Released in the UK in February, Gran Torino is a film that has stuck with me throughout the year. A fine film in its own write, this tale of old age, loss and revenge prompted me to reconsider the work of Clint Eastwood to such an extent I now consider myself a great fan. It also helped me to decide the topic of my ongoing MA dissertation.
“Get off my lawn!”
Notable Runners Up – ’In The Loop’, ‘Synecdoche, New York’
Biggest Disappointment 2009
Neither particularly funny or as groundbreaking as it would like to be, Bruno pales in comparison to Cohen’s previous film, Borat. In my original note on the film I pointed out that, while I have no doubt that the filmmakers’ hearts were in the right place, Bruno may actually do more damage to the cause of gay equality than good – I stick with this assessment.
Reasons To Like My Friends and Family
November 9, 2009I recently decided to purge my phone of redundant text messages that were taking up space and stumbled across these. No reason for including them here other than that I like them.
“You’ve lost a fight to him, you have. (R.I.P. John Inman)”
“Well done Drew!, cats now trying 2 get in kitchen window! All we need now is 4 the whippets 2 come 4 a visit – another murder!”
“Tis your fault. u gave milk!”
“Lol. I might just store it in my pouch till later like a hamham xxx”
“Ferret beautiful ferret xxx”
“Wher did you get those duck crisps from? L v k x”
“Just found the closing theme to Quatermass II on itunes. A snip at 79p.”
“What the hell is elo? Is it that spikey lego stuff? xxx”
“How much money in slang words is monkey worth? Quick TB x”
“No… I’m being serious…”
“Oh wow! I am like racecar!
“
“Thick and crisp and even xxx”
“After punching some stuff I’m better xxx”
“OMG we’ve been living in filth urgh
x”
“Do you have any personal opinions on Milton Keynes?”
“What the fuck? You? In a club? With young peoples music? What would norman clegg say?”
“COW! TEETS! DREW! X”
Me For Sale!
June 25, 2009
Stand By For Action, a television documentary on the work of supermarionation giant Gerry Anderson, which I edited, is now available for your viewing pleasure direct from its producer. If you don’t mind me saying, I think it turned out pretty damn good – the best documentary on its subject to date, in fact. For ten quid you purchase a DVD with the complete two hour programme and currently, this is the only place to get it.
Black Books
April 19, 2009
Of all the words one could use to describe this blog, current isn’t one that springs straight to mind. Certainly, Black Books isn’t new, it isn’t even new to me; I saw the show when if first aired back in 2000, but after having re-watched the entire series recently I felt the need to write about how bloody good it is.
Black Books offers slices from the life of Bookshop owner Bernard Black, his unwanted work colleague Manny Bianco and his best friend Fran Katzenjammer; both of whom are pretty much his only source of communication with the world outside his grimy abode.
On the surface Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan’s Black Books has a classic formula thatcan be seen again and again in sitcom land; two blokes of opposing viewpoints are forced together in a confined space. This may be a well worn formula, but it’s a formula that works; Hancock’s Half Hour, Porridge, Steptoe and Son, The Odd Couple, Red Dwarf – the list goes on. Black Books is different though, it isn’t really about the relationship between Bernard and Manny, nor Fran and Bernard, not even Manny and Fran. Instead it is about the dysfunctional relationship one man, Bernard Black, has with the rest of the world. In having Manny forced upon him Bernard is forced to reintegrate himself into society. His relationship with the world is a little like that of a bitter ex lover forced to try and get on with a woman that, in some unfathomable way, betrayed him; turning him into the shambling, alcoholic pile of skin and grime that lurks in the bookshop like a vicious troll.
Bernard, despite being so dislikable in so many ways is likable precisely because of his irritability. Everyone has bad days, times when a dark cloud seems to hover over their head and threaten to taint their view of the whole of humanity. There are mornings when we all wish that the world would just go away and leave us alone. We’re happy to scuttle around in our homes sealed off from the cause of all our woe – everyone else. Bernard Black’s only problem is that he sunk into this state a long time ago and failed to reemerge from the doldrums. There was no way he could have cut himself off entirely from the outside world for any sustained period of time and as a result he is now plagued with constant intrusions and attacks upon his ideal state of being; to sit in the middle of an empty bookshop with a cigarette in one hand and a voluminous glass of wine in the other. Bernard has no filter, this has been worn away many years ago. He screeches at his friends, mocks passers by and only shows the vaguest signs of common courtesy when faced with the need for food, drink, sex or shelter. All this conspires to make him very, very funny.
I have heard it said that series two and three of Black Books are markedly inferior to the first. In fact I have often said it myself. But upon re-watching the series as a whole I’d like to issue a public retraction; at least once a series Black Books produced an episode that I think could be called a classic – and the remaining fifteen installments weren’t too shabby either. Of these I would personally single out the following:
Series 1 – Episode 5 The Big Lock-Out
An inadvertently locked door sees Bernard forced to venture out into the real world seeking, in this order: shelter, hardcore pornography, food and employment.
Series 2 – Episode 4 Blood
The title of this episode stems from Fran’s quest to research her family tree but the really excellent parts of this installment involve Bernard and Manny trying to re-invent the shop, firstly as a library come cafe and then as a fully blown restaurant. It’s satirical, hectic and brilliant
Series 3 – Episode 2 Elephants and Hens
Bernard attempts to write a children’s book. I can’t think of anything that I can add to that sentance could possibly make it sound more appealing.
When Black Books came along in 2001 the classic studio audience based sitcom format was on its very last legs, soon to be trampled into the ground by a new wave of low key half hour comedy dramas typified by the likes of The Royal Family, The Office and Marion and Goeff. The multi camera sitcom is far from dead, as demonstrated by the relative success of Linehan’s The IT Crowd, the long running family comedy My Family and a multitude of American imports that wash up on our fair shore. I can say however, having re-watched the entire Black Books oeuvre, that this is the programme for me that can be described as the last great traditional British sitcom. I look forward to the day when that is no longer the case.
