Film Reviews by JD

The first time I watched this, I didn't like it for 3 reasons. It is near the knuckle. This is a film that goes very close to stirring up Muslim stereotypes. The second reason was the bickering and whining within the group and the third that some of the characters are extremely superficial.

The second time I watched it, it was a lot funnier. Maybe the Muslim topic is now less taboo, maybe I knew the silly scenes and was looking forward to them, maybe I was in a better mood. Who knows, but the Bazooka scene is worth watching 20 times.

It is imperative to see this through the eyes of an alternative, indie or artistic film viewer. Seen in any other way it is amateur even shoddy. If the genre is embraced however it is a refreshing perspective on a subculture who would otherwise be seen as lowly. I felt completely different about "bag ladies" and tramps after watching this and even a little humbled by the last character studied.

I am not sure why Jean de Florette is so good and this, almost in the same mould, is not. The cinematography is typically French with beautifully lit outdoor scenes. The town and country scenes are wonderfully nostalgic. The plot however is aimless and did not resonate with me. This young lad had a great holiday, well fair enough, he enjoyed learning some countryside crafts (potentially interesting but not realised) and changed his attitude to his father, a bit incongruous with the rest of the rather drab plot.

Max Fischer is a precocious Jewish American 15 year old with mature social skills, able to master adult skills, like directing plays and orchestrating school business cases. Whether or not you find this funny or even entertaining is up to you. I found it poorly acted in the most part, unoriginal, and unfunny. Probably funnier for people who identify with precocious children and like American college type films.

If you are watching the complete collection from series 1 - 4 you may feel that some of the originality is fading by series 4. I would recommend this disc however for the opening ceremony of the post box. A sketch to my mind which surpasses all others including the parrot sketch (maybe first equal with the railway timetable murder) and does not see its fair share of glory. The parody on awards ceremonies is another which could do with a dusting off.

Having just watched the complete set I would pick out late 2nd series to early 3rd as being the era of near perfect comedy, an enlightened zen discovery of inner mirth. I watched it 39 years ago and of course have completely forgotten most, except for the recently repeated sketches. It is the rest which is particularly polarising in comedic taste. The reliance on cross dressing and falsetto delivery can be chaffing to the soul or liberating depending on how much it is embraced. I cannot explain why sometimes salty tears of ribaldry flowed whilst at others heavy lids of boredom. It was probably the most significant landmark in modern comedy and 50% of it is hysterically brilliant. What more can you ask?

I can only guess how they can get such young children to be so funny. It can't be scripted but the humour is very subtle. It works for just about any age group. There were less than perfect moments for me however, mainly the use of awkwardness. An American therapist pushing his beliefs, the revelation of infidelity and the messiness of previous divorces are only good counterpoints to humour in moderation. Overdone they are dower and repulsive. Otherwise easily a 5 star for side splittingly funny.

At the time of writing this had a 4.5 star rating from 162 reviews. I would suspect that this is a nostalgia biased rating from the older viewer for whom Jean Renoir is a fond memory. On this basis I would suggest this film to those in their late 70's early 80's. For me it was just too dated. The make up was music hall, the villain was a real cad, there was even a couple of songs thrown in for good measure. Good for its era but put some Brylcream in your hair to watch it.

I have rented a few old TV comedies. Almost all the sketch show / review types are very dated and no longer as funny as they once were. This is the exception. Series 1 got off to a slow start with some weak sketches but these are all good some brilliant. The Gilliam cartoon's provoke the most nostalgia, none of them can act for toffee especially Terry Jones but after a while that adds to the silliness. A splendidly idiotic mess of funniness.

For the first 20 the appalling acting is so difficult to forgive, even from child actors, that ejecting seemed a good option. The plot however is so gripping that despite the acting it is difficult not to be drawn into the characters and the situation. The barbarisation of schoolboys stranded on an island. The last 20 minutes are utterly compelling and lived with me for a few days. It is dreadfully sad, believable and a powerful exposure of the primitiveness of human psychology.

The lads were getting a bit bored of doing safe homely humour and let off some blue steam. Surprisingly from pretty much everyone not just Mr Boyle. Although his expletives are a bit hot even for an 18 rated. All done with fine word-smithery witticisms. Great fun. Especially anal-lube.

This is such an immense classic I thought I was the last person to see it, and didn't check the reviews because it was such a certain rental. I have seen a few Shakespearian films which have been pretty dull (sorry Derek), but this is brilliant, passionate and easy enough to follow (I am not a Shakespearian aficionado). Shakespeare can be gripping on film, this is the best I have seen.

The acting is more palletable than the first series in which my only criticism would be that some of the characters are a little jarring after 6 episodes. I would not recommend all 3 discs together. Space them over a few weeks. An episode at a time is great fun.

For young children to portray so genuinely and clearly both the thought process of a child and the humour of the results of an intense family atmosphere is incredible. I imagine it was mainly acting talent of the 3 children though direction may have been important. Very life like, very amusing, and thought provoking.

This is a French - Canadian film with a rather unbelievable plot, A tiny village works together to attract a factory investor. The feel of this film (the acting, direction and filming) are trademark French and the humour is light but "laugh out loud" funny. It does feel very amateur and unpolished at times but remains good fun.