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Reviews
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
You'll either get this film, or you won't......
....... and I didn't.
Other reviewers have made the mistake, not unreasonably, of assuming that as a children's book, this is a children's film. It assuredly is not, being instead an over long allegorical film with only minimal plot line attached.
The central character is the deeply troubled sociopath in waiting Max, the sort of mop haired urchin that American drama schools must churn out for films and TV, who frankly make me feel ill. He journeys - whether actually or in his mind is unclear - to a land inhabited by the "Wild Things", large hairy creatures who appear to lead listless and troubled lives - hey, could these represent Max and his family?? For the next ninety minutes they talk, and play games, all in doubtless a deeply "meaningful" way, before Max returns home. End of story.
Allegory is a very powerful tool and can be used to great effect in both literature and film - Peter Greenaway's film "The Draughtsman's Contract" is a huge, puzzling allegory which after 25 years I still cannot work out, but it remains a stunning film on many levels. This film however is little more than pretentious rubbish.
The most telling critique I suggest is that when I saw this film, of the 12 people in the audience 5 had left by 40 minutes in while the rest of us battled through to the end, each of us looking at each other as if to say "what was that about?" Avoid.
The Golden Girls: Big Daddy (1986)
Very weak episode
This is a weak episode of Series 1, not helped by incredibly poor casting of Blanche's father; to me, he looked more suited to be latest suitor than her much lauded father. For me, I simply could not believe in the character or the relationship between the two actors.
The plot itself is weak and concerns Blanche's father's decision to sell the family home and take up[ a career as a country and western singer, despite having no talent whatsoever.
There are the usual scattering of sassy one liners, as usual Bea Arthur taking the lion's share of these, but overall this episode left me disappointed.
Murder Most Horrid: Mangez Merveillac (1994)
One for Hislop & Newman to forget
This must have seemed a great idea on paper. Satirise the then highly popular genre initiated by Peter Mayle in "A Year in Provence" of Brits going to rural France / Spain / Italy, making it with the locals and then writing their best selling account filling with wit and local col;our. Surely, low hanging fruit just ready for picking? Unfortunately, they used this Dawn French series as their vehicle.
The story concerns French as the successful writer sent by her publisher to write an account of rural France, finding some corner that has not already been written about - "not an easy job". Such searing wit! Naturally, French's account differs entirely from reality, becomes a best seller, etc, etc. Problems then arise as tourists arrive, seeking this idyll she describes and the episode details her attempts to get the locals to conform.
In the hands of these two noted satirists, the humour should have been sharp, but the writing is weak and French is not the actor to turn this around. If not exactly a turkey, it certainly rates as a chicken and will not appear, one suspects, on any of their CVs.
Murder Most Horrid: Overkill (1994)
Tasteless and weak - one of the poorest episodes
This series was written as a vehicle for Dawn French and thus, given her limited acting skills, some episodes will be better than others. This must be one of the worst.
The initial premise, that French is about to hang herself when interrupted by a professional assassin who threatens to shoot French if she does not follow orders, French threatening in return to hang herself, doubtless appeared to be an amusing "Mexican Stand Off" when it was written, but rather comes across as simply stupid on screen.
The episode thereafter descends into slapstick farce, by way of deeply unamusing jokes about "blow jobs" - not something I ever remember hearing on the BBC before? - and becomes less funny as it goes on, descending to a level that may amuse an 8 year old. It fails to have either a witty twist or pay off, rather fizzles out with yet another slap stick joke.
Deeply unfunny.