This Scottish sketch comedy show has fallen into obscurity, which is a crying shame because it's as good as much better known contemporaries such as "Big Train", "The Sketch Show" and "Dead Ringers". It had some classic sketches including the depressed (and potentially murderous)hitchhiking clown, the wistful Dirk Bogarde style monologist who haunted rundown seaside towns,the baby eating father in law, the horny mother continually trying to seduce her daughter's teenage boyfriend and many others. There were only six half hour episodes ever made. It was shown a couple of times on the ABC in Australia but hasn't been repeated recently. Surely it's worthy of a DVD release.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Stages
(1990)
Comedians will love this movie.
26 July 2006
Deliberately low key story of life of being a stand up comedian on the road,produced by someone who's been there and done that. How interesting this will be to someone who isn't a comedian may be debatable, but if you ever have been on the road many things will strike a chord with you. Being thrown together with people you may not like very much but feel a bond of shared experience with. Trying out material. Telling war stories. Eating takeaway. Dodgy venues. Bad crowds. Little moments of reward. Nothing much happens in the film, as we follow three comedians and their manager on a road trip in America's northwest, but little moments of recognition are everywhere, like watching a keen observational comic at work. This is a much more accurate depiction of life as a comedian than, say, "Punchline". Care is taken to make the characters more than just two dimensional, and you'll like them all by the end. The characters It's a cult item amongst stand up comedians, and it'll pleasantly while away a couple of hours for you otherwise, but you may be disappointed if you're expecting to laugh out loud. Known as "One Night Stand" in Australia.
Walk the Talk
(2000)
Well observed but ultimately bland telling of intriguing story
10 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Shirley Barrett's previous film "Love Serenade" is one of my favourite Australian films of recent times and so I looked forward to "Walk the Talk". It has the same beautiful sense of it's milieu and well rounded characters, the only problem is this time around they don't seem to be caught up in an interesting story. The Fairlie Arrow "kidnapping" which this film is loosely based on could have been turned into a crackling good story but it's a story that would actually benefit from broader charactertures than the ones on display here. The characters in this film are ones that you normally see played very broadly; the deluded self help junkie, the vacant wanna be star, the evangelist, the noble girl in a wheelchair, the crusty old club singer. It's refreshing to see them played with a lot of depth; you feel for all the characters in this film. So it's enjoyable enough letting yourself get drawn into the world they inhabit, and it's a meticulously crafted world, but there's just not enough going on. I didn't mind that the central character was not essentially likable, though I found his sudden violence at the end hard to justify and jarring, it wasn't very well set up. Outside of the almost forgotten "Goodbye Paradise", Australia's Gold Coast hasn't been used very well as a movie location, which is a shame because it's Vegas like collection of hucksters, dreamers and down at the heels is crying out to be exploited in a big way.
The Rage in Placid Lake
(2003)
You're not alone, I think this movie is awful too
30 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
With all due respects, I have seen funny, and this isn't it. EVERY movie made about teens coming of age has the theme that you have to find your own identity in this harsh cruel world. "The Rage in Placid Lake" seems to think it's discovered something brand new in making this startling discovery. Here's the spoiler I promised you. Placid Lake discovers he should just be himself and then he gets the nerdy girl in the end. There, I've just saved ninety minutes of your life, which can now be spent watching one of the much better movies that this one pays homage to. (start with "The Graduate", then "Rebel Without A Cause", "Ghostworld", "The Bank") This got a lot of good reviews when it was released, and lots of good reviews on this site, and picked up a plethora of nominations for the AFI awards, so it's obviously strikes a chord with a lot of people. But for those who want to a movie with real characters, a sub text buried beneath the surface (hence the name sub text) rather than pasted irritatingly over the top, any connection to the real world and decent jokes, don't bother. Rent "Ned" or "You Can't Stop The Murders". They're both funny and unpretentious and didn't muster an AFI nomination between them.
Collateral
(2004)
Above average entertainment, but that's all
3 November 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The USUAL SPOILERS
This is a Michael Mann film so I sat down and wondered how long it would be till the first lyrical close up shot of moisture on a car window would arrive. For the record, less than thirty seconds. This is a lot more fun to watch than the overlong, over-rated and humourless "HEAT". It's a very engaging thriller, the leads are watchable and the relationship between the cab driver and the hit-man is never less than hypnotic. But it has one of those story lines where the set up is so intriguing that there's no way that the pay off can ever live up to it, and in this case the pay off is an incredibly limp final quarter of the film that slides into such a conventional action picture ending that you come out thinking "so what". Which is a bit of a pity because the first three quarters of the film deserves better. Jamie Foxx is a revelation as the everyman, "put yourself in his place and how would you get out of this dilemma" hero, and Tom Cruise is competent in a role that's essentially one dimensional. (Cruise continues to get praised for every role he takes that isn't the standard Hollywood hero, but it's like praising the dog walking on it's hind legs. Don't get me started on "MAGNOLIA".) Being a michael Mann film it's full of character's who launch into long philosophical diatribes when a simple "I'll kill you if you lose the list again" would have sufficed, and it's full of ludicrously overblown action scenes that are at odds with the alleged character pieces he seems to be wanting to make. The dance club shoot out, like the bank heist in the middle of "HEAT" is just plain dumb. (The dancers are straight out of the movie extra dancing school. Have you ever been in a real dance club and seen it full of stupidly grinning couples dancing limply to some flacid instrumental. Okay, maybe you have. Bad point.) I know you're supposed to suspend your logic in big dumb action films, but why would a professional hit-man trying to keep a low profile insist on riding around in the most recognisable, dinged up vehicle etc etc. Since the film invites you to put yourself in Max's place and try to logically think your way out of his position then these things do matter. And gosh darn it, that lawyer lady, she's going to be the last victim. Never saw that coming. And why are these idiots out on the town on the eve of a major trial when they know the big bad crime boss will be trying to hit them. AH, forget about it. It's a great fun movie that uses it's location well but don't think you've actually watched anything profound. Vincent is simply a sociopath, no other explanation is given. Guy in rut decides to act and follow his dream. End of story.
This is a Michael Mann film so I sat down and wondered how long it would be till the first lyrical close up shot of moisture on a car window would arrive. For the record, less than thirty seconds. This is a lot more fun to watch than the overlong, over-rated and humourless "HEAT". It's a very engaging thriller, the leads are watchable and the relationship between the cab driver and the hit-man is never less than hypnotic. But it has one of those story lines where the set up is so intriguing that there's no way that the pay off can ever live up to it, and in this case the pay off is an incredibly limp final quarter of the film that slides into such a conventional action picture ending that you come out thinking "so what". Which is a bit of a pity because the first three quarters of the film deserves better. Jamie Foxx is a revelation as the everyman, "put yourself in his place and how would you get out of this dilemma" hero, and Tom Cruise is competent in a role that's essentially one dimensional. (Cruise continues to get praised for every role he takes that isn't the standard Hollywood hero, but it's like praising the dog walking on it's hind legs. Don't get me started on "MAGNOLIA".) Being a michael Mann film it's full of character's who launch into long philosophical diatribes when a simple "I'll kill you if you lose the list again" would have sufficed, and it's full of ludicrously overblown action scenes that are at odds with the alleged character pieces he seems to be wanting to make. The dance club shoot out, like the bank heist in the middle of "HEAT" is just plain dumb. (The dancers are straight out of the movie extra dancing school. Have you ever been in a real dance club and seen it full of stupidly grinning couples dancing limply to some flacid instrumental. Okay, maybe you have. Bad point.) I know you're supposed to suspend your logic in big dumb action films, but why would a professional hit-man trying to keep a low profile insist on riding around in the most recognisable, dinged up vehicle etc etc. Since the film invites you to put yourself in Max's place and try to logically think your way out of his position then these things do matter. And gosh darn it, that lawyer lady, she's going to be the last victim. Never saw that coming. And why are these idiots out on the town on the eve of a major trial when they know the big bad crime boss will be trying to hit them. AH, forget about it. It's a great fun movie that uses it's location well but don't think you've actually watched anything profound. Vincent is simply a sociopath, no other explanation is given. Guy in rut decides to act and follow his dream. End of story.
The Parole Officer
(2001)
Forget your expectations and enjoy it for what it is.
16 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS ALERT*****
A gang of likable crooks led by a socially inept amateur plan a bank robbery with the aid of a series of low tech gadgets, ending with a feel good musical interlude. Expat director John Duigan pays homage to that excellent little Aussie movie "MALCOLM" here and if you enjoyed "THE PAROLE OFFICER" I'd suggest you make the effort to track down this 1986 heist comedy. Most people's opinions of "THE PAROLE OFFICER" seem to stem from the expectations they bring into it. I watched it with low expectations after reading a few bad reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised, but if you're a fan of Steve Coogan's edgier work in "Knowing me, knowing you' and "24 hour party people" you'll probably be disappointed in this effort to make a conventional, feel good comedy. It's not a classic. The mix of comedic styles don't really sit together all that well, and even for the low standard that you apply to the plot of a gag movie the holes in the story tend to grate on you. (Why didn't they just kill him, why not erase the tape, why does gorgeous Lena Headey have a crush on the gormless Coogan.)But the things that work about this film outweigh the flaws. The gang of crooks is very likable, especially Om Puri as the philosophical serial bigamist and Emma Williams as a spunky joy rider who just wants to belong. The locations are unusual and nicely shot. Steve Coogan basically plays his Alan Partridge role again, the earnest but out of his depth social ingenue with a stream of consciousness patter. If you've been fantasising over Jenny Agutter ever since "Walkabout" and "Logan's Run" you'll see that she's aged rather nicely, and there's a surreal walk on part from Omar Sharif that completely comes out of left field. So if you've got a friend who's been banging on about how funny this is beware, you may be disappointed. But if you've read the reviews and are thinking about giving it a miss, try it. It's not a waste of time.
A gang of likable crooks led by a socially inept amateur plan a bank robbery with the aid of a series of low tech gadgets, ending with a feel good musical interlude. Expat director John Duigan pays homage to that excellent little Aussie movie "MALCOLM" here and if you enjoyed "THE PAROLE OFFICER" I'd suggest you make the effort to track down this 1986 heist comedy. Most people's opinions of "THE PAROLE OFFICER" seem to stem from the expectations they bring into it. I watched it with low expectations after reading a few bad reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised, but if you're a fan of Steve Coogan's edgier work in "Knowing me, knowing you' and "24 hour party people" you'll probably be disappointed in this effort to make a conventional, feel good comedy. It's not a classic. The mix of comedic styles don't really sit together all that well, and even for the low standard that you apply to the plot of a gag movie the holes in the story tend to grate on you. (Why didn't they just kill him, why not erase the tape, why does gorgeous Lena Headey have a crush on the gormless Coogan.)But the things that work about this film outweigh the flaws. The gang of crooks is very likable, especially Om Puri as the philosophical serial bigamist and Emma Williams as a spunky joy rider who just wants to belong. The locations are unusual and nicely shot. Steve Coogan basically plays his Alan Partridge role again, the earnest but out of his depth social ingenue with a stream of consciousness patter. If you've been fantasising over Jenny Agutter ever since "Walkabout" and "Logan's Run" you'll see that she's aged rather nicely, and there's a surreal walk on part from Omar Sharif that completely comes out of left field. So if you've got a friend who's been banging on about how funny this is beware, you may be disappointed. But if you've read the reviews and are thinking about giving it a miss, try it. It's not a waste of time.
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