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Reviews
Dr. Plonk (2007)
Back to the Future... via a wooden box?
Rolf de Heer has taken his idea of a scientist who in 1907 discovers that the world will end in 2008, combined it with time travel via a machine that would not look out of place in a museum of Heath Robinson artifacts, added a good dose of well natured slapstick humour and filmed a fast paced, witty story in the style of the old Buster Keaton comedies.
In 1907, Dr Plonk (busker and entertainer Nigel Martin) discovers that the world is going to end in 2008, however no-one in his time believes him. To collect proof, he builds a time machine with the help of his erstwhile assistant Paulus (Paul Blackwell) who spends more time being badgered by Mrs Plonk (Magda Szubanski) or being forced to walk the dog (Tiberius) than actually working. Together they use it to try and collect proof of the end of the world for the politicians in their time.
Filmed in black and white and presented with musical accompaniment by the Stileto Sisters, we see Dr Plonk in the usual "fish out of water" and life threatening situations that time travel plots usually permit, with a healthy dose of societal and political commentary thrown in for good measure.
With this film, de Heer has again proved himself to be a capable writer and producer of material that, while not intended to be a mainstream production, will appeal to the mainstream anyway.
His script allows Martin's skills as entertainer to be wonderfully showcased and with tight direction there are very few low spots, and it's easy to see why Szubanski was cast in the role that she has been as she fits the role of the nagging yet supportive wife so very well.
I was fortunate enough to view it at the final dress rehearsal/preview screening with live musical accompaniment provided by the Stileto Sisters and their performance went off without a hitch. A standing ovation awaited the performers and film at the end - bravo! I sincerely hope that this movie will be available on DVD for eventual purchase and addition to my collection!
Death in Brunswick (1990)
A Gem of Early 90's Australian Cinema
From the moment the film opens, depicting aluminium cans rolling ceaselessly (and noisily) in the wind, along with the elderly Greek ladies putting this year's Christmas trees into the wrecked Austin 1800 (stuffed next to previous year's Christmas trees), you know that this film is going to be a little different.
Melbourne, one of the most multi-cultural metropolis's in the world (should that be metropoli?) is the setting for this rather dark comedy drama. Carl, an unemployed and very much down on his luck chef, gets a job at a less than reputable nightclub in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. He falls in love with one of the Greek barmaids, much to the consternation of the owner of the bar who has been betrothed to the barmaid. Not helping matters much is a Turkish kitchen hand, who appears to want to spend more time trading in stolen goods and drugs than actually working as a kitchen hand.
When matters escalate out of hand, Carl needs the specialist help that only his friend, Dave can provide. If it can be said that a good friend will help you move (house), it's fair to say that only a true friend will help you move - a body, and as a gravedigger at the local cemetery Dave is in the ideal position to help "dispose" of one of Carl's kitchen disasters.
Along the way, Dave is pestered by his Feminist-rights movement wife who spends most of her on-screen time berating Dave for his pathetic life, while Carl spends his time being roughed up by the nightclub bouncer, roughed up by a Turkish crime syndicate, or, more worryingly, being berated and belittled by his mother.
A truly enjoyable Australian film from the early 1990's, though apparently not available in Australia - I had to get my copy from the UK, though fortunately the UK release is region free.
Peter's Friends (1992)
Witty, well put together film
My wife and I fell in love with this film the first time we saw it in a small dingy cinema in Manchester, UK, on New Year's Day 1993.
All of which made it more poignant for us, as the film is set at exactly that time - New Year's Eve, 1992/3.
Peter (Stephen Fry) has invited all of his University 'chums' to visit him at his manor house, recently inherited after the death of his father (played in a brief cameo by Richard Briers).
A flashback scene to a Cambridge footlights style review (incidentally, source of many of the actors in the flick) leads to a montage of images displayed to the music of Tears for Fear's "Everybody wants to rule the world." And it it a coincidence that the last image of the opening montage - that of John Major - cuts brilliantly to a paddock full of sheep? What follows is very good character development, as Peter's Friends - a couple of jingle writers (Imelda Staunton and Hugh Laurie), a Hollywood actress and her script writing husband (Rita Rudner and Kenneth Branagh), a new age publisher (Emma Thompson) and a relationship-challenged woman and her latest boyfriend (Tony Slattery) arrive and start to interact.
Old secrets come out, many of them relationship based ("You slept with that f**kmonster!", "You slept with Sarah! - My dear, the Archbishop of Canterbury has slept with Sarah"), recent discoveries are exposed, old vices are taken up to excess, old history is dragged up.
It's the sort of stuff you'd expect a group of friends who haven't really seen each other for ten years to do.
Scenes to watch for include the "like they were in a rodeo" scene and a very well executed scene between Branagh and Thompson, with the latter discussing how her most recent boyfriend committed suicide, the irony being that her boyfriend used to write self-help books. "I didn't really like him much", she says, "I liked him even less after he killed himself."
The reviewer's comments on the video state "The funniest British Film since a Fish called Wanda". I didn't find it such a good belly laugh as AFCW but then again I don't think that is what the writers intended.
I've not been able to find this film on DVD - yet. The minute it pops up it'll be on my buy list.
Just Shoot Me! (1997)
A Refreshingly Different American Sitcom
In Australia, we seem to get a large amount of sitcoms imported from Britain and the US of A. Almost without exception (in my opinion, anyway), most of the stuff from the US does not stack up against most of the stuff from Britain...
Except for "Just Shoot Me".
I was chatting with a colleague at work about why sitcoms such as this one and "Becker" (well, the earlier seasons at least) appeal to my particular funny bone. We both came to the conclusion that it's the comedy of insults.
Nina is always insulting Finch who is insulting Nina back and while Eliot is treating his photographic models badly Maya is either sitting in the corner bemoaning the fact that she's daddy's girl or goading Eliot on to insult Nina all the more.
And all the time this is going on, Jack is either trying to run the office or being run himself by Finch.
It's sad to hear that this show has been canned - it will be missed.
Gogs (1995)
Well Worth Watching
"The Gogs" are a rather dysfunctional family living in pre-historic times who spend most of their time trying to find shelter, or avoid large animals, or both.
There's Grandpa, a flatulent old geezer who thinks that any problem can be resolved with the use of his club...
There's Father, a witless man who tries to come up with good ideas to feed and clothe his family, but the plans that he develops to fulfil his ideas invariably end up with him in the bottom of the pit, or the stomach of the dinosaur.
There's Son, who spends most of his time looking dumb, blowing mucous out of his nose. And yes, it's green...
There's Daughter, the clever one of the bunch, who comes up with designs for flying machines, physics equations and other such stuff...
There's Mother, the undisputed head of the family, who brokers no crap from any family member, dispatching ne-er do wellers with a quick fist in the jaw...
and there's Baby, who spends most of his time screaming loudly, pooping, making maniacal faces during storms and draining his mother's breasts or milk faster than a good DVD shop can drain your credit card.
A brilliantly written and filmed series from Wales (the Welsh do know how to laugh), replete with humour from the characters themselves, along with nice touches like the occasional piece of newspaper blowing past in a storm.
Thunderbirds (2004)
Worth the wait
(WARNING - Minor Spoilers)
Took the kids (son, 7, and daughter, 9) to see this at the cinema last Saturday night and am glad that I did, because they just loved it. The fact that they both sat there, glued to the spot for the entire movie without asking me to go to the toilet or asking for food and drink, proves that to me.
It's pitched as a children's film, or at least it was here in Adelaide, as the cinema was showing it for 'Adults at Children's Prices'.
Adults will look at the plot holes, the biggest of which to me is the fact that The Hood actually found out who runs International Rescue and is in a position to spill the beans at the end when taken into custody. Kind of ruins the whole 'Secrecy is everything' mantra, doesn't it? And that's even before you start asking where Brains found the time (or a willing partner) which with to have a son. And where was Grandma Tracy in all of this?
Still, as an adult who grew up watching this stuff on TV, I also have to say that I really enjoyed it. The opening titles paid homage both to the original musical score and the 'corniness', for want of a better word, of some of the rescues that were carried out on the original TV series.
The vehicles were instantly recognisable and the entire film had a bright, airy feeling to it, well lit at all times.
I know I've enjoyed a film when I come of one feeling that I want to see it again, or want to find out when it will be out on DVD. My kids felt likewise.
Men Behaving Badly (1992)
The reason I bought my DVD player...
The reason I bought my DVD player was so that I could play the DVD's in the Men behaving Badly box set that I was fortunate enough to buy back in 2001.
It was a hefty investment at the time but it has been worth it in repeated laughs since then.
Having shared flats in my youth with friends, I found it easy to relate to the situations that Tony and Gary found themselves in. Work problems, girl problems, hygiene problems - oh how the memories come flooding back!
Who can forget Gary's antics at the all-night rave-party, or Tony's attempts to tattoo himself on the cheap. Even the first series with Dermott (Harry Enfield), though not as good as later series, had many good moments. Just how hard is it to assemble a book-case?
Simon Nye deserves a medal for this stuff!