re-123 Reviews

La La Land (2010)

New Star of Comedy = Marc Wootton

[9/10 · 24 May 2010]

Upon Watching this show for the first time I had not heard of Marc Wootton nor seen any prior advertising about it. However this show proved to be a masterclass in clever, witty, improvised comedy.

La La Land has a simple premise with Wootton letting loose his three comedy creations (all of which are seeking fame and fortune) on the unsuspecting residents of L.A. Of course Sacha Baron Cohen has already covered similar ground with both 'Borat' and 'Bruno', so it could be suggested that this show lacks in originality and that is partially true. However, do not let that put you off as Wootton really does bring something new to the table with three very funny characters and a brilliant mocking of the L.A culture.

As for the characters, this is where this show really delivers. Gary Garner, Shirley Ghostman and Brendan Allen have some similarities with each being Brits, completely inept, utterly deluded and importantly very funny.

Gary Garner is a former East London Cabbie turned wannabe actor, who claims to be 'the next big thing you haven't heard of yet' and models himself on Hardman 'Jason Stratham'. He is living with Hollywood legend Ruta Lee while in L.A and the exchanges between the two are particularly funny with Lee becoming ever more exasperated. Garner without doubt proves to be the most amusing creation with Wootton playing the Brash, ignorant but still earnest cabbie to perfection.

Shirley Ghostman is a rogue Physcic trying to become 'America's new Physcic superstar'. He has been banned from the U.K due to making false claims about a missing girl and being caught out in a Newspaper sting. Ghostman appears to be in denial about his sexuality despite being particularly camp and often being caught in compromising situations such as viewing gay pornography or suggesting a meeting to take place at a Public Toilets. Wootton plays Ghostman almost worryingly well and the characters real nasty/bitchy streak works great.

Brendan Allen is a 'documentary film maker' who is clearly passionate but idea's often seemed flawed. His bizarre idea's provide the main source of comedy, such as, his insistence on filming a documentary in a single take or his view that cages have never been used to help film sharks underwater and his attempt to become the 'right wing Michael Moore'. Allen is the epitome of ineptitude and provides the audience with many laughs.

Many have commented that Wootton is the 'new Sacha Baron Cohen', others have suggested he's a pale imitation, but it is entirely unfair to compare the two with Wootton a relative newcomer and both undoubtedly doing a brilliant job of improvisational comedy. If you enjoyed either 'Borat' or 'Bruno' or just like clever, innovative comedy then this show is for you.

Facejacker (2010– )

Unexpectedly Brilliant

[8/10 · 11 May 2010]

As a fan of both Fonejacker and Kayvan Novak I was as much looking forward to this series as I was sceptical about it, due to the obvious change in concept.

Facejacker however, proved to be just as clever, innovative, witty and laugh out loud funny as the Bafta Award winning Fonejacker. The show has a fairly simple premise with Novak disguised as various characters(many of which are adapted from Fonejacker) using prosthetic makeup and often eccentric clothing, then putting the characters in real life situations with unsuspecting members of the public.

Admittedly this show may not be for everyone, as you really do have to have a sense of humour to get it and the odd character doesn't really work. However if you're looking for 25 minutes of quality entertainment and original comedy with a very funny set of characters created by the talented Novak then this show is ideal for you.

The main cast of characters include:

TERRY TIBBS, who is a used car salesman. He is perhaps considered the most widely known and popular character. He appeared as a guest on the teleshopping channel price-drop TV and also starred in Come Dine With Me.

AUGUSTUS KWEMBE, who is a very polite Ugandan scammer from the Republic of Uganda. He is based on the Fonejacker character George Agdgdgwngo. His catchphrase is "scam the UK, the Augustus way". He tries to gain people's bank account details with a series of scams such as hypnotherapy and pretending to be a traffic warden, checkout assistant and Beefeater at the Tower of London.

AZIZ AZIZZI, who is a journalist working for a fictional show named World Modern Developments for Iraq TV. Similar to Mr. Doovdé he believes that acronyms and initialisms are how words are spelt and not pronounced and, as a result, he mistakes them for pronounceable words e.g. 'Joovc' (JVC), 'Pük' (PC). He is accompanied by a man simply known as 'Translator'.

BRIAN BADONDE, who is an art critic based on Brian Sewell who has a speech impediment called Bourette's, where everything he says ends up starting with the letter 'B' (e.g: Bello, umm... Boo you bell baubles?/Hello, umm... Do you sell baubles?). He works on a fictional show called 'Voyage into Art, with Brian Badonde'.

DONALD DONALDSON, is a director who tried to make it in Hollywood but after a tragic accident that killed four extras on his 1976 film, Three Kings of Zanzibar, he quit Hollywood and returned to England. He currently works with animals to try and make them big animal stars.

DR ALI, who is a plastic surgeon who over reacts to his customers current appearances, telling them they are ugly and have to pay for beauty. He would also over charge them after going through what they want to change about them. He claims to be the former plastic surgeon of Saddam Hussein.

MR PROVIDINGS, who is an Indian man based on the character from Fonejacker who works at a Fast food restaurant in Northern Ireland called Moira's. He is forced to take over from the Automated Order Machine after it has technical difficulties or "goes mad". He does not appear, but his voice can be heard over an intercom.

Bottoms Up (2006 Video)

Drivel

[2/10 · 13 November 2009]

This movie is without doubt one of the worst i've ever seen. Having read the summary beforehand I knew it was never going to be a classic but it really was painful viewing. Due to the films simplicity I'll just follow its lead and simply list my thoughts on the film.

* The chemistry of the male and female leads is completely non existent and i've never seen a less convincing couple on screen than Jason Mewes and Paris Hilton

* The male lead in the movie is Jason Mewes, who unfortunately is entirely unsuited to this role and charisma free.

* The plot is the most threadbare and tedious I have ever seen, with a Minnesota bartender travelling with his gay uncle to Los Angeles and meeting a spoilt heiress. Sadly that really is about it.

* The script is neither funny nor creative.

* None of the characters are likable. In particular the supposedly humorous, gay 'Uncle Earl' just being a stereotypical and plain annoying character.

* Editing on this film was clearly not a priority, with many scenes appearing to take place that weren't really necessary and often scenes seem like endless drivel.

* Paris Hilton appears to be playing herself and is incapable of doing that. Her acting ability is non existent and it sounds like she has rehearsed her lines way too many times.

One of the most surprising elements of this film was seeing Jon Abrahams (star of 'Scary Movie' and 'Meet The Parents') playing a minor role in a poor DTV film. Despite this he seems completely uninterested when on screen and you can hardly blame him. But what was he thinking agreeing to this?

Overall, films don't get much worse than this and if you enjoy this film you really are easily pleased.

I give this movie 2/10.

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009 Video)

Insulting

[2/10 · 13 November 2009]

As a fan of the first two 'Wrong Turn' films, I was expecting this to be a good but not great film with enough gore/horror/comedy to keep me entertained for 90 minutes. How wrong I was. The plot consists of this; four college kids are out rafting in the Bluefish River area, however their fun is abruptly ended when they are attacked by the mutant cannibal hillbilly Three Finger (Borislav Iliev). Only the teenager Alex (Janet Montgomery) succeeds in escaping running through the woods. Meanwhile, a group of dangerous criminals are transported from the West Virginia Grafton Penitentiary in a custody bus escorted by three security guards through the backwoods. Predictably the bus is attacked by Three Finger, causing the bus to crash in the woods and the struggle for power and survival begins.

Initially, I thought the plot was fairly well thought out and had the potential to work quite well. However, it doesn't work and these are the reasons why; the terrible casting, the laughable special effects and the dire script. I understand that this was a low budget horror movie but it could have been done so much better. The casting of British actors in American parts didn't help the film either with most of the casts accents slipping constantly, Tamer Hassan is particularly bad in his role and often reveals his strong London accent.

The special effects are beyond cheap and they look like something from the 70s or 80s. But undoubtedly the worst element of this movie is the script which could have been written by a couple of teenagers, the guards and cops have clichéd dialogue and the other actors have such a poor script to work with you almost begin to feel sorry for them.

Overall this movie is very poor and most importantly not scary in the slightest. In the end I found it a little insulting to the 'Wrong Turn' franchise.

I give it 2/10 and I think that may be slightly generous.