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rbingham
Reviews
Say It with Diamonds (1927)
Silent comedy of errors
Picked this up on a Kickstarter. The usual story of a woman who suspects her husband of being unfaithful, and his philandering friend who tries to steal her heart (despite having a number of other girlfriends). As is standard, everything works out in the end and the happy couple retire (to their narrow single beds!).
The ladies all look beautiful in their sparkly outfits, apart from wearing dead animals round their necks, the sets are lavish (despite making the ceilings appear around 60ft high), and everyone acts slightly over the top, as you would expect for a silent comedy. The only problem with a silent comedy of this type is when they rely on written jokes, which don't really work to more modern audiences used to snappy verbal repartee. Still, there are some good lines and the visual comedy more than makes up for it.
Ore ga ojô-sama gakkô ni 'shomin sample' toshite gettsu sareta ken (2015)
Very funny series.
I really enjoyed this show, where a commoner is kidnapped and installed at an all-girls ultra posh school as the representative of poor people, so they don't experience culture shock when they leave school and venture into the outside world.
The main reason Kimito was chosen (so they claim) is because he supposed to have a fetish for muscle bound men. So despite the copious nudity and fan service, he has to remember that this is not really what he fancies. Otherwise the head maid may just use those giant scissors on his manhood.
As the series progresses, we find that there are a lot of undercurrents to the story and a few surprises are in store before the series ends. Sadly there is as yet no second series, despite a lot of things going unresolved by the end of the show.
Still, I laughed a lot, and once you look past the fan service (especially the creepy stuff with the 14 year old who looks like an 8 year old), it's an entertaining school/harem comedy show. Just need series two to be made.
Tonari no Totoro (1988)
A simple story of love and family
This is a movie that EVERYONE will love.
It shows the joy and love that family and friends can provide.
Better than Disney could ever be.
The only problem is that I had to buy TWO different DVD's to get an approximation of what it is. The US version is fullscreen and has no Japanese dialogue or subtitles (almost like Fox were trying to deny that the movie wasn't American). The Chinese version is 1:78 with Japanese dialogue and English/Chinese subtitles, but the sound is mono. I want to hear Totoro in full surround (especially at the bus stop). The Japanese version (which I don't have) only has English as Hard-of-hearing titles which give TOO much info which can obscure the picture (so I have been advised).
Romance with a Double Bass (1975)
It's a funny, musical, nudie, political satire
I love this (short) film. I first caught it late one night and luckily recorded it (mentioned John Cleese so I thought 'why not?'). It bears very little relation to the Monty Python style of humor.
It's a tale of a double bass player (John) commisioned to play at the engagement of a princess (Connie) and some count she's never met. John is early so is rather rudely told to go away until the scheduled time. Connie is bored with her life and just wants to fish. John ends up having a swim in the river and Connie sneaks away from a dress fitting to fish (co-incidentally nearby). Connie's float gets caught and she strips (don't want to get the dress wet or dirty) so she can retreive it. A peasant pinches her clothes and runs away (pinching John's as well on the way).
The naked pair meet and have to get back to the castle (and dressed) without being caught.
The rest is classic and I won't spoil it any more except to say; if you love classical music or comedy or political satire or John Cleese (or naked women or John's bottom), then you will love this movie.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Celebrating friends and family
This is one of my favorite movies. The songs are excellent. How anyone could go past The Trolley Song or Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is beyond me.
Set in 1904 just prior to the World's Fair coming to St Louis, it shows the importance of family, and that the pursuit of money/status is not the aim of people, as represented by the move to New York and living in an apartment as opposed to a large (several generations old) family home in a 'small' city.
The best scenes in the movie (apart from the aforementioned songs) are the Halloween scene which (if you see it from the child's viewpoint) are what scary is all about; and the scene when the girls are preparing for the dance and planning their assault on the eligible boys to keep 'that Lucille Ballard' unattached.
Loved the tying of the corsets, which shows women's fashion has NEVER been based on being comfortable.
Perfect to watch at Christmas time or when you're feeling depressed.
The Goodies (1970)
One of the best comedy series from the UK
The Goodies were Tim, Bill and Graeme (character names the same as their real names). The shows ran from 1970 to 1980 and the plot usually involved one of the three going mad in some way and the other two attempting to stop him. In the early series there was a guest star who won the honour of being the baddie for the week, until the Goodies realised that the baddie was usually the best part to play!
The episodes were written by the trio and all stunts were performed by them as well. Their style was part slapstick and part dialogue driven comedy. Of the 75 or so episodes there are only a handful that do not stand the test of time (or taste, although the team have apologised for some of the incidental racism in the jokes which, however was standard for the time).
Some of the best episodes include The Giant Kitten (where a kitten is fed growth mixture, ends up two stories tall and eating London, and the Goodies have to don mouse suits to get close enough to inject the antidote), Pirate Radio (where the team start a pirate radio station, then pirate post office and Graeme attempts to take over the world), Goodies at the OK Tearooms (a western set in Cornwall where they mine for cream and scones, ending in a gunfight with sauce bottles) and The End (entire episode set in a room encased in a concrete block over a span of 100 years, with brilliant script and forced on them as they had used their series budget up).
The team had their start at Cambridge and Oxford with the boys from Month Python. They wrote a number of TV shows with the python lads and were good friends. The Goodies also starred in a radio series called I'm sorry, I'll Read That Again with John Cleese and some episodes written by Eric Idle which lasted for six years(1965-1971,1973). Monty Python's Flying Circus started about six months before the Goodies.
The Goodies was a classic TV series which is still funny and should be re-released on DVD ASAP.
Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)
Richly complex and moving
This movie is one that has to be watched many times (along with the other two movies in the 'trilogy') to understand the subtle nuances and interactions in the movie.
It is not a movie that 'hits the viewer on the head' with a moral. There are no good or bad guys. No gun battles or whiz bang special effects. Just a story and a search for meaning in a complex world.
See the movie and make your own mind up. Everyone will find their own meaning in the story.
Love and Other Catastrophes (1996)
One to cuddle up with
This is a lovely movie powered by excellent acting and a very good script. The characters are people you could meet at a Uni, and if you have any heart, you'll fall in love with this. The movie is short but there is a lot of action occurring so you're really drawn into the storyline.