Movie – The Guard

I’ve not seen Martin McDonagh’s/Brendan Gleeson’s previous effort, In Bruges (Colin Farrell probably put me off) and so had no idea The Guard will be this funny.

Sergeant Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is the small town, Irish cop who is not exactly bent, just not doing things by the book. There’s been a murder and he matter-of-factly has a day off to spend with two disease laden, enthusiastic hookers. At the same time, an anxious FBI agent (Don Cheadle) has come over from the USA to work on a drug trafficking case that is clearly linked with the same gang.

Even past the stereotypical racist jibes encompassing Boyle’s dark humour, the two aren’t destined to become work mates but it extends the good cop/bad cop suggestion to new levels; FBI doing everything by the book and small town cop robbing murder victims’ houses and selling recovered firearms to the IRA.

Add to the mix the always excellent baddie, Mark Strong and the film’s straight faced humour that is just so politically incorrect, it’s hilarious.

8/10

Smile factor 9/10

Comedy – Lenny Henry: From Cradle to Rave

As with Jonathan Ross, I have grown up with Lenny Henry being part of my life. So why I have waited two decades to see him I have no idea. I don’t remember him specifically winning New Faces, back when talent shoes were about talent, but I do recall it being essential family viewing, back when there were all only three channels and one TV.

However, when this show was suggested to me way back last autumn, I knew instantly it was the must see. This show, you see, is about Lenny’s love of music.

A few of us trundled along to see this and we sat across over 2 rows. (I never understand why groups sit in one long line? Whereas we’re not going to talk to each other we can exchange knowing glances and prods.) We’d booked the tickets so long ago, we’d almost forgotten so it’s a lovely surprise to be walking out on a Monday evening as winter closes down to go and spend 2 hours in the company of the funniest men I’ve ever seen.

The whole of Alexander Theatre was laughing as soon as Mr Henry walked on the set, I don’t think he’d even uttered a word. I know we are in for a wondrous evening during which there is no heckling, no picking on the audience and barely a one-liner. Just Lenny’s chat about growing up with music is enough to amuse us which just goes to show (and as much as I find comics like Frankie Boyle funny) there’s not always a need.

As if the trip through memory lane with loads of fantastic tunes that had us chair dancing wasn’t enough, the encore was a show in itself; Lenny the musician comes on with a band and does an actual set, complete with James Brown gyrations.

A superb night of entertainment enjoyed by all.

9/10

Smile factor 10/10 (think this is a first)

Movie: Morning Glory

This is definitely one of those hectic weeks that need a silly comedy at the end of it.

Having said that, surely Harrison Ford is only going to appear in a half decent comedy, right?

There are two main stories; Rachel McAdams plays the hard working TV producer, Becky, looking for a big break. Having being fired, upon arriving at her new job at the 4^th best morning TV show ‘Daybreak’ desperate for ratings (sound familiar?) is looking for the solution to halt the slide.

The solution it turns out is Harrison Ford, Mike being paid for the remaining years on his contract after his news show was cancelled, mainly playing golf and complaining. As a respected news guy, the gruff Mike is reluctant to co anchor morning TV with Colleen (Diane Keaton) which ‘doesn’t do news’ but mostly stories on how to make the perfect cookie.

Our intrepid Senior Producer, who lives and breathes work finds a loophole in his contract that states he has to take whatever work he is offered and so follows a frustrating time as he does everything in his power to avoid covering silly stories and campaigns to report on serious news.

It is a throwaway comedy but not in an annoying slapdash way.

7½/10     Smile factor 9½/10

 

Book – Dear Fatty by Dawn French

I read another book, indeed a memoir that I wish I had thought of first. Perhaps I’ll do it in five years when everyone has forgotten this one. Having said that, obviously my books won’t get anywhere near the coverage that Dawn French gets so I can just nick the idea.
Dawn French’s memoirs are written in letter form, each one is a chapter written to different people who have meant something in her life. Superb.
Ms French of course is extremely funny lady but life as we know is not always a bundle of laughs. What struck me most were the letters to her Dad who committed suicide before she had even started college. I didn’t know about that and some of those chapters have the inevitable shadow of sadness but still with an air of cuteness.
Admittedly, my eyes really picked up about a third of the way through when I read Ms French spent a year in New York, still in the dangerous late 1970s, when New York was NEW YORK. She won a place on a programme, due mainly through a teacher’s encouragement of her to join debate clubs and the like so she studied out there, living with different families. If that doesn’t give a teenager confidence I don’t know what will.
The photographs testify to the author’s slimness in those days but she talks of loving her food and we can’t begrudge her that. The Dear Fatty in question appears to be the equally brilliant Jennifer Saunders. What a fantastic pair of comics they have been since they were first plucked for the Comic Strip series as the token women. And they still innovate and amuse now.
There are also frequent letters to her best friend (BF) her mum, her daughter, her nieces and nephews and various members of her family along with an ex boyfriend or too. And there’s the ‘fan’ letters to David Cassidy and the riotous, more recent letters to Madonna.
Finally she writes beautifully to her, sadly now ex-husband, Lenny Henry, only one mind, their life was and is private a fact that I love.
Read if you like memoirs and/or if you have a sense of hilarity.
8/10
Inspiration factor 9½/10

Book – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson

Following what I think is excellent advice I’m on a mission to read 10 travel memoirs before writing my own. Not that mine are all travel, but there is fair chunk of voyage talk half way through writing the first draft of the book and it is a memoir.

I’m amazed in all the books that I have read in the last 48 months there has not been one travel memoir. Maybe Stuart Maconie’s Cider with Roadies counts or Kerouac’s On the Road?

In any case, I have heard a lot about Bill Bryson’s work and on more than one occasion have been tempted to pick a book up but alas always when there is a big pile waiting for me on the coffee table.

So now that I’m happily forced to do so, I pick the Thunderbolt Kid first. Strictly not travel, it’s about Bryson growing up in 1950’s middle America and centres on his family and school life. Well that’s all there is as a kid. He writes about his uber-forgetful mother, a terrible cook and not exactly maternal but somehow still doting. He writes about all the kids, the ones he picked on and the ones that picked on him. Then he talks about his father and this for me is the most enthralling part.

It turns out the late Mr Bryson senior was a sports journalist of some note, who stayed with the local paper, The Register, despite offers from the big boys. He also spent chunks of time away from home covering baseball games and I’m not sure if they would do that now. It’s just gorgeous to see how well he was rated by his son and touching for him to quote some phrases.

His mother also worked for the same newspaper as Bryson senior but his recollections are only of her being out for coffee, for lunch or forgetting that he was going to meet her at the office despite them having regular Friday ‘dates’. This in the days where he can stroll into a big office building and right up to her desk,

Inevitably in the American 1950s, despite young Bryson not experiencing that much himself during his tender years, he talks briefly about racism and details some local events of needless deaths.

However, the book is mostly uplifting and amusing starting with the anti communism stance of the counties leaders, a world away (or is it?) from the America of today where permission has been granted to build a mosque near the site of the old Twin Towers.

It’s about the era when everything changed; TV came, cars became a regular fixture, women could work as long as they were home makers too, missiles weapons were being tested without recognising the damage done and money was seemingly in plentiful supply. Anything was possible.

What a fantastic time to grow up.

8/10    Inspiration factor 9½/10

John Barrowman – Tonight’s the Night

I do love Barrowman in a kitsch, Saturday night, camp it up variety show kind away. He’s absolutely made for Tonight’s The Night and its perfect Saturday night watching.

Even though I make sure I’m home for Match of the Day, I’m not always around for this or for the brilliant John Bishop’s Britain. It’s a shame they have both finished after filling our summer perfectly. I can’t imagine how BBC are going to top that for the reportedly more popular autumn schedule.

I watched both on the way back from Glasgow, being too tired to write or in fact read. Tonight’s the Night is car crash TV, I’m cringing as I watch and hoping the strangers on the train who I will never see again, don’t notice. John Bishop’s Britain at least still has some credibility, despite his catastrophic rise to mainstream, prime time TV, by his own humble admission, almost overnight.

But back to Barrowman; what makes me cringe is not his outlandish disguises when surprising people but by this question afterwards: ‘Did you think this may happen’ or more specifically, ‘did you think that your family would rehearse the Mama Mia routine and surprise you with it at your own wedding reception’. Yes of course we all hope for that at weddings but if hardly ever – never happens!

Hysterical!

God love him.

Movie – Heartbreaker

What is a RomCom anyway? Why can’t it just be called a comedy after all don’t many films have a bit of romance in them?
The RomCom tag means I have probably missed a few good films (and many more bad ones) but I am glad I saw Heartbreaker.

It’s in French and it’s a comedy. What do they know about romance anyway?

The story is of a man who makes a living by separating ‘unsuitable’ couples. He is hired by friends, relatives and colleagues and his trick is to seduce the women, therefore awakening her to the fact that she is probably in the wrong relationship before telling them he’s not the right fit either and moves on to the next assignment.

The Heartbreaker works with a team his sister and her husband who add to the comedic essence of this film. Each time, there is careful research on the break up couple, he finds out as much as he can so he can pretend to have all the same things in common; be that Wham or Dirty Dancing.

The comeuppance is expected when he is hired to break up a French bride to be from her wealthy British fiancé. To add pressure, he also owes a sizable amount of money to some crooks, who no doubt helped fund his expensive lifestyle, afforded by him sleeping in the office or whatever is available.

The French cookie turns out to be a tough one to crack with only three days to go before the wedding. Will this be the one girl that doesn’t fall for his charms?

A good comedy that’s well worth a watch.

7½/10 Smile factor 9/10

Movie – Greenberg

I believe this is a first; I watched this movie until almost the end before realising I hadn’t cracked open the obligatory cinema candy.

It is a short film (107 minutes) with Ben Stiller playing a NY carpenter just out from an institution and house sitting for his brother’s family in LA.

A man of few words, rarely of the complimentary kind, he immediately hooks up with his brothers somewhat insecure personal assistant. When I say hook up they have a feeble attempt to have sex before he disappears out of the door without explanation. This episode is repeated during the film and despite the 15 year age gap, she starts developing more than a passing interest.

Add to the mix the reunion with his old college buddies, with some of whom he was in a band that was offered a record deal. However, a few tensions still exist as he was the one that made them turn it down.

The movie moves along at a steady pace with good humour and enough characters to keep you interested.

Quite frankly, if I forgot about eating something for 107 minutes, it must be worth a watch

7½/10 Smile factor 8½/10

Movie – It’s a Wonderful Afterlife

Bend it Like Beckham is a classic that put all associated with it on the global frame map and I loved Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, one of the first films I reviewed.

It’s a Wonderful Afterlife took a few moments to come to life but turned out to be funny and original. Surprisingly it gives more than a nod to Bollywood in that it’s a true, modern, Indian film albeit minus the need to put every film genre in one film. Luckily for us this has comedy, a little romance, a few crimes and a lot of warmth.

It reminds me more of East is East rather than a Gurinder Chadha comedic masterpiece in that there are some poignant sad moments. The story begins with one of the few non-Indian characters investigating the 3 murder cases in Little India so brings in a dashing detective from Kent to immerse himself into the community and find the hidden secrets.

The stars of the show are Mrs Sethi (Shabana Azmi) a recently widowed mother of two desperate to see her daughter, Roopi (Goldy Notay, apparently in SATC 2) happily married before she too joins her husband. Roopi is still getting over a broken heart and is no mood for a new relationship but clearly hasn’t counted on the 4 spirits of the murder victims floating around that only Mrs Sethi can see.

Add Roopi’s best friend Linda, recently back from a long trip to India with a new found spiritual awareness to the mix and hilarity is assured.

One of the sprits is played by Sanjeev Bhaskar, as of course no British India film can be made without his talent for comical expressions but the whole cast, including Jimi Mistry, is pretty fantastic and clearly had a good time making this imaginative film, as is testified by the must see out-takes in the closing credits.

7½/10    Smile factor 8½/10

Book – Tickling the English by Dara O’Briain

My current favourite TV funny man writes about England and her people but of course what makes this book unique is that Mr O’Briain is writing as an Irishman.

I’ll say from the off that unlike my last read, Craig Fergusons biography, this has not diminished my liking of the author; in fact, now I realise he is clever, intelligent and interesting as well as comical.

The book was written whilst Dara was on a UK tour so on each stop, he writes about the town, the people and funniest of all the things the audience say. Dara is very much from the ‘interact with the crowd’ school of stand-up comedy, a talent in itself as he then has to think on his feet when coming up with witty come backs. Many jokes are included throughout the book and it’s not always a case of #youhadtobethere

Obviously he has excellent knowledge of all the theatres (loves the Hippodrome in Birmingham amongst many others) but also where to go before and after a gig, where to eat, where to drink, where to shop, where the fun time-filling activities are and the difficulties in convincing pizza delivery guys that you will meet, and therefore pay them at the back of the theatre. Honestly.

He especially notes the fudge in seaside towns as all of them say ‘the best in the country’. And he doesn’t even like the stuff but does point out that fudge isn’t even British but invented in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1886, although ironically, I have never seen it there.

Dara desperately wants to visit all the exciting places he sees on tourist signs but never has the time stop and experience them. Billing Aquadrome appears to be of particular interest, mainly because of the ‘r’ in the name.

I love his description of Brighton as a dysfunctional family in the nicest possible way; its an easy train ride to London means it thrives with the commuters who earn big bucks in the big city to spend back on the coast but who are in turn frowned upon by those who stay local yet need the commuters spending power.

I will take issue of his opinion that nowhere else could possibly put on the spectacular Christmas parade that Swansea does. He is of course wrong as my home town, Bedford (and I imagine many others) hosts a pre-Christmas parade that used to make this my favourite day of the year there; the parade is led by Santa Claus coming to town, taking everyone to the gorgeous riverside where the Christmas lights are turned on after a fantastic firework display.

The other aspect of this book that I love is the history lesson; here is an Irish comedian, touring my country, researching statistics and then coming back to me with his reports. He starts with the Victorians having invented everything and I do always say they invented Christmas (as we know it).

He talks about him and his driver/buddy always listening to Radio 5 on their long car journeys but in particular about how this book started because of a particularly interesting late night phone-in about England being placed in the top 10 best countries to live in an international poll and how the callers were disbelieving of this fact.

There are many statistics; how Britain, especially Birmingham is obsessed with porn in that Birmingham City Football Club is owned by two porn magnates (although David Gold and David Sullivan have moved onto West Ham now) and our 2nd city has more lap dancing clubs than anywhere else. Dara’s reasoning is that the city holds 40% of the country’s conferences and events.

He also says this puts paid to the old truism that the English aren’t interested in sex (for crying out loud!) and are a little embarrassed by it. There’s also an interesting bit about where the phrase ‘Lie back and think of England’ – too long to go into here suffice to say it was a quote from Lady Alice Hillingdon who at the age of 55 in 1912 was commenting that her husband now only called upon her twice a week. That’s twice a week at 55.

The book is smattered with historical facts which I’m pretty confident that the author has researched so I haven’t checked.

There are also illuminating statements including Britain (not England) is the 4th largest English speaking nation in the world, after USA, India and Nigeria. This is in a chapter entitled ‘You’re About Fifth’ in which he brings up the subject that Britain tends to be fourth or fifth in most things.

Dara also talks of the big drinking reputations of the British and the Irish but really, there is a laugh out loud moment at the turn of almost every page.

On rare occasions do I borrow I book and then wish I had bought is but I sure want to own this one.

Or I could have just used @StuartMaconie‘s review, ‘Dara is as clever as he is funny and he writes superbly well’

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