What are you watching tonight?

jenkz · Post by **jenkz** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:36 am

Nachoooooooooooooooooooo Libre!

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:28 pm

Saw IN THE LOOP at the cornerhouse. hilarious. Particularly the brilliantly foul-mouthed, demented alistair campbell type at the centre of the movie...

Laugh out loud satire.

Partner reckons it's not sharp enough - but it's hard these days for satire - the politicos really are that cynical and corrupt you can't do anything but scream with fury or laugh...

She's not wrong...

but this movie delivers the laugh option very, very well...

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:23 am

William the White wrote:Saw IN THE LOOP at the cornerhouse. hilarious. Particularly the brilliantly foul-mouthed, demented alistair campbell type at the centre of the movie...

Laugh out loud satire.

Partner reckons it's not sharp enough - but it's hard these days for satire - the politicos really are that cynical and corrupt you can't do anything but scream with fury or laugh...

She's not wrong...

but this movie delivers the laugh option very, very well...

Good to hear

I'm going to go and see this next week I think. Can't wait.

Have you seen 'The Thick of It', William? Tis the sitcom which it is based on. Absolutely pure cut gold, with Capaldi stealing pretty much every scene he is in. I'm still happy to say that the first hour long special they did, 'Rise of the Nutters', is one of the finest hours of comedy ney television I've had the pleasure to watch.

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:13 am

Verbal wrote:
William the White wrote:Saw IN THE LOOP at the cornerhouse. hilarious. Particularly the brilliantly foul-mouthed, demented alistair campbell type at the centre of the movie...

Laugh out loud satire.

Partner reckons it's not sharp enough - but it's hard these days for satire - the politicos really are that cynical and corrupt you can't do anything but scream with fury or laugh...

She's not wrong...

but this movie delivers the laugh option very, very well...
Good to hear I'm going to go and see this next week I think. Can't wait.

Have you seen 'The Thick of It', William? Tis the sitcom which it is based on. Absolutely pure cut gold, with Capaldi stealing pretty much every scene he is in. I'm still happy to say that the first hour long special they did, 'Rise of the Nutters', is one of the finest hours of comedy ney television I've had the pleasure to watch.

I saw The Thick of It once or twice, but i don't really do television that much, unless it's something I really fancy, like The Devil's Whore and Red Riding - even The Sopranos and The Wire I caught sporadically, then bought the box sets... I'm into movies and theatre really, and, a really big interest, radio drama (I do realise this is a minority interest)...

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:30 am

Fair dos, I must say I don't watch much TV either unless there's either a special thing on or football. Never been to the theatre or listened to radio drama though, maybe I should give it a try one day.

Though if you're interested in watching The Thick Of It, every episode has been posted on youtube, starting at Series 1 Part 1, as these things usually do

I was bored on saturday a few months ago and my friend recommended it to me. I started off watching that and 12 hours later I hadn't moved from the couch having watched every episode.

John Doe · Post by **John Doe** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:57 pm

Don't know if anyone else saw A Question of Sport last night. I stopped watching it ages ago but tuned in cos Kevin Davies was on it.
Wish i hadn't, I think he only said 2 words all programme, and if anything its got worse. Matt Dawson & Phil Tufnell are as funny as piles.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:01 am

William the White wrote:Saw IN THE LOOP at the cornerhouse. hilarious. Particularly the brilliantly foul-mouthed, demented alistair campbell type at the centre of the movie...

Laugh out loud satire.

Partner reckons it's not sharp enough - but it's hard these days for satire - the politicos really are that cynical and corrupt you can't do anything but scream with fury or laugh...

She's not wrong...

but this movie delivers the laugh option very, very well...

Saw this tonight, laughed out loud a lot, but I can definitely see what your partner means.

As a plot, it's a bit weak, and it's much more about a stream of hilarious insults than it is bitingly-close-to-reality satire.

So yes, it's really funny and enjoyable, but yet I was quite disappointed as well. Go figure.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:28 am

I haven't seen In The Thick Of It, but I have intended to for while, based on an impression that it is rather cleverer than In The Loop is.

I think this review gets to the heart of some of why In The Loop is a bit disappointing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... r-campbell

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:10 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:I haven't seen In The Thick Of It, but I have intended to for while, based on an impression that it is rather cleverer than In The Loop is.

I think this review gets to the heart of some of why In The Loop is a bit disappointing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... r-campbell

Agree with some of that review - but feel it's far, far too kind on the real life policians and spin doctors... the venality of both is not significantly different to that portrayed in LOOP. imho...

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:38 pm

William the White wrote:
mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:I haven't seen In The Thick Of It, but I have intended to for while, based on an impression that it is rather cleverer than In The Loop is.

I think this review gets to the heart of some of why In The Loop is a bit disappointing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... r-campbell
Agree with some of that review - but feel it's far, far too kind on the real life policians and spin doctors... the venality of both is not significantly different to that portrayed in LOOP. imho...

How about this one, particularly its last four paragraphs:

So is In the Loop as funny as everybody says? Yes and no. The film does a first-rate job of exposing the doublethink and verbal evasions politicians employ to deceive the public and hold onto power. Yes, it has plenty of good one-liners, but most of the laughter comes from the pyrotechnic profanity of Capaldi’s splenetic Tucker, a brilliant portrayal of a demonic and power-mad personality. It’s a creation that belongs up there alongside Basil Fawlty and David Brent. The American cast, though always competent, never really get to shine. Their star should be Gandolfini, whose finest moment comes when he faces down an abusive Tucker with a Tony Soprano-like stare.

But doesn’t great satire provide something more than just laughs? Satire enjoys a special cultural kudos because it challenges the orthodox view of things and exposes the gaps between appearances and reality. The trouble with In the Loop is that when it comes to the Iraq war, nobody believes the official version of events in the first place. (And Iannucci’s claim that his film isn’t specifically about that war displays the kind of disingenuousness that’s typical of the politicians his film mocks.) So what we have here is a satire that sets out to expose an established truth.

His film has plenty of gags, but no guts. Beneath the mirth there is no moral disgust about the subversion of democracy or the deaths caused by the war. Simon Blackwell, one of the film’s three writers, summed up what’s missing in it when he said, “The issue of a war can sometimes become anaesthetised in the political debate. Very few people talk about people being killed and the horrors of it.” Exactly, Simon. Casting a satirical eye over the events leading up to the Iraq war is a bit like doing a satire on Munich in 1945.

In the Loop simply reasserts the same message British satire has been offering since the 1960s: politics is a farce, politicians are a bunch of buffoons and self-serving idiots, devoid of principles or any real commitment to public service. There is something intellectually lazy in this kind of one-size-fits-all cynicism. In the Loop may be the funniest British comedy in ages — which isn’t saying much — but its satirical bark is much louder than its bite.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 099668.ece

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:59 pm

I would call In The Loop more an exaggerated version of real events... art imitates life if you will. In that respect The Times is spot on.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:01 pm

There was an interview with Armando Ianucci's writing partner in one of the papers (either Metro or thelondonpaper...one of those) in which he said that Ianucci had been very careful not to sacrific funny for satire. In other words, it was made to sound like he's prioritised the film in terms of laugh first, think later.

Seeing it on Thursday, cannae wait.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 9:19 pm

ive began watching The League of Gentlemen from the beginning, so ill probably do a couple of episode tonight.

Also got Nathan Barley to get through.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 10:46 pm

Verbal wrote: I'm still happy to say that the first hour long special they did, 'Rise of the Nutters', is one of the finest hours of comedy ney television I've had the pleasure to watch.

Would you adam and eve it? On BBC4, starting in about 2 minutes. There goes my plan for an early night

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:22 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
William the White wrote:
mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:I haven't seen In The Thick Of It, but I have intended to for while, based on an impression that it is rather cleverer than In The Loop is.

I think this review gets to the heart of some of why In The Loop is a bit disappointing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... r-campbell
Agree with some of that review - but feel it's far, far too kind on the real life policians and spin doctors... the venality of both is not significantly different to that portrayed in LOOP. imho...
How about this one, particularly its last four paragraphs:

So is In the Loop as funny as everybody says? Yes and no. The film does a first-rate job of exposing the doublethink and verbal evasions politicians employ to deceive the public and hold onto power. Yes, it has plenty of good one-liners, but most of the laughter comes from the pyrotechnic profanity of Capaldi’s splenetic Tucker, a brilliant portrayal of a demonic and power-mad personality. It’s a creation that belongs up there alongside Basil Fawlty and David Brent. The American cast, though always competent, never really get to shine. Their star should be Gandolfini, whose finest moment comes when he faces down an abusive Tucker with a Tony Soprano-like stare.

But doesn’t great satire provide something more than just laughs? Satire enjoys a special cultural kudos because it challenges the orthodox view of things and exposes the gaps between appearances and reality. The trouble with In the Loop is that when it comes to the Iraq war, nobody believes the official version of events in the first place. (And Iannucci’s claim that his film isn’t specifically about that war displays the kind of disingenuousness that’s typical of the politicians his film mocks.) So what we have here is a satire that sets out to expose an established truth.

His film has plenty of gags, but no guts. Beneath the mirth there is no moral disgust about the subversion of democracy or the deaths caused by the war. Simon Blackwell, one of the film’s three writers, summed up what’s missing in it when he said, “The issue of a war can sometimes become anaesthetised in the political debate. Very few people talk about people being killed and the horrors of it.” Exactly, Simon. Casting a satirical eye over the events leading up to the Iraq war is a bit like doing a satire on Munich in 1945.

In the Loop simply reasserts the same message British satire has been offering since the 1960s: politics is a farce, politicians are a bunch of buffoons and self-serving idiots, devoid of principles or any real commitment to public service. There is something intellectually lazy in this kind of one-size-fits-all cynicism. In the Loop may be the funniest British comedy in ages — which isn’t saying much — but its satirical bark is much louder than its bite.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 099668.ece

Excellent, and right. Partner had it instantly on one viewing...
took me time...

William the White · Post by **William the White** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:34 pm

saw Looking for Buddy at the Octagon tonight. An Alan Plater play. I like his work a lot, and wish i liked this more. Tim Healey is outstanding in the only truly rooted role - a failed newcastle architect with a (hilarious) philip marlowe/raymond chandler fantasy life...

The regeneration of wallsend is the issue. The bandits charged with leading it (whose headquarters is a shed in the seychelles shared with 18000 other equally bandit companies) are faced with a credit crunch, and the people of Wallsend are faced with a loss of their world...

Mixed in with this is a search for the legendary only recording of jazz trumpeter Buddy, and a former shipyard fitter anxious to obtain payment for the paninis he's retrained to make from the above mentioned bandits.

There are some great ideas lurking in this play - too many, i feel, to cohere in two hours.

The script has very funny moments. But can't find its way out of the multiple plot lines. The characters are thin. the music is good. the singing less so. and the ending is on the nose sentiment for a lost working class world, which wears a big heart on a very frayed sleeve.

Finishes Sat. Can recommend for Healey and humour and nowt else.

superjohnmcginlay · Post by **superjohnmcginlay** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:44 pm

Watched Hospital the documentary on channel 4? This week about fat fookers wanting gastric bands. Depressing but not as much as the booze one.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:35 am

Just seen In The Loop.

First of all -

one of the funniest films I've seen, and probably the most quotable. F, star, star, c*nt. Steve Coogan's cameo was wonderful as well. Aw the film is just brilliant

It pretty much carries on the tradition of The Thick Of It in terms of repeating the self serving nature of politicians and public sector workers, and the cluelessness of it all. No bad thing, and very funny. There are some classic scenes and lines (the ones about 'blacking up' and the bit about porn literally had me recoiling in my seat due to recent events) and I'd recommend it to anyone.

The point re: satire...well, to be honest, the film is just an extended episode of The Thick of It, and I think people have come to this film expecting more than what it is (though to be honest when you think about it, the ending is quite terrifying...). The film can go a bit stale when Tucker and/or Jamie aren't on screen, but even those moments can have solid gold in them (see porn bit). If you think it as satire you may be slightly dissappointed, though I doubt this was the intention - Iannucci himself said he didn't want to sacrific funny for satire. But if you come to it expecting laughs, you get a f*cking barrel load.

"Right, you, white stripes, out.... there's TWO people in the white stripes"

"I'll treat them with kid gloves...made from actual kids."

I could probably quote from this film all night.

Little Green Man · Post by **Little Green Man** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:52 am

Verbal wrote: The point re: satire...well, to be honest, the film is just an extended episode of The Thick of It, and I think people have come to this film expecting more than what it is.

That's pretty much what I thought, and as such I thought it was very funny.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:33 am

the entire first series of the Inbetweeners back to back!!!

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