Comedy Film

[Inspector Abberline]

Im not sure who came up with the double take and looks to the camera breaking the fourth wall,but Oliver Hardy was definitely a master of these comedy tricks,only equaled by James Finlayson and maybe Ricky Gervais or Martin Freeman or Eddie Murphy,any how you get the point.In the The Fixer Uppers Olly has plenty of opportunities to flex his comedy muscle,of course mostly due to Stan rubbing him up the wrong way.Also Stan gets to expand on one of his cunning plans,of course when ever he has to repeat said plan it usually goes horribly wrong with Olly seemingly understanding every word,even if it is totally inexplicable. The duo are out selling Christmas cards,(for some reason everything has gone Parisian,im assuming because the French are always dueling perhaps),and after a rather successful sales pitch to professional drunkard Arthur Housman,they come across the sobbing Mae Busch who is having some marital problems with her artist husband played by Charles Middleton.This is where Stan come's up with the plan of trying to make her husband jealous by catching her with another man,after trying to explain how he heard of a similar story.The Fixer Uppers has some great moments,whether its Stan kissing Mae Busch until she faints,or Stan and Ollie waking up in an unfamiliar bed,until they realise that there back in the bedroom of Mae and her jealous husband.It all gets a bit farcical towards the end,with prat falls and some rather unconvincing acting from Olly as he fakes his death while having a duel.Still it has one of those typically memorable endings that stick in your mind well after you have seen it,even if its only Olly covered in rubbish in the back of horse drawn garbage cart.

[Inspector Abberline]

Laughing Gravy...
As fake snow goes, the stuff they use in Laughing gravy may not be the most realistic in the world, (alright it looks polystyrene) (although I love the opening scene of the shot of the house with all the icicles hanging from the windows.)but it certainly conveys a coldness and sort of impoverisheness that encapsulates the depression era of the 1930's.When we see Stan and Olly sleeping in the same bed, we know it has nothing to do with sex but the fact they cannot afford anything else.(besides im sure Olly would not tolerate Stan's hiccups or his hogging of the bed covers for very long) Its a testament to the characters and the time that you can make a comedy basically about being poor and impoverished, all we get is Ken Loach. Anyhow the boys are trying to hide there dog Laughing gravy from there itinerant landlord, the very funny Charlie Hall. Depending on whether you are watching the two reel version or three reel version, the ending are slightly different, in the three reel version, Stan's loyalty to his buddy is tested to the limit when he inherits some money but there is a clause, he has to leave Olly. In the other version, the occupants of the house are quarantined because of small pox and Charlie shots himself rather than spend another evening with the boys. You do feel sorry for Laughing Gravy considering who his owners are, he's hoisted up to the window by bed clothes, dog groomed in the bubbliest bubble bath ever seen and also stuffed up a chimney where he ends up on the roof. Laughing Gravy is probably one of my all time favourites, up there with The Chimp, which basically shares the same story. There can't be that many comedies where some body shots themselves at the end or sticks a dog up a chimney..

[Demoncrat]

Watching Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat (89)
Still a funny flick. A hapless science boob endangers his suburban brood by relocating them into a nest of vampires. Hilarious? Well, in Craven's hands maybe ... but this romp, complete with the ever subdued Bruce The Campbell as a vamp hunter is a joy to behold.

[Inspector Abberline]

With the sad passing of Rodney Bewes, I had to revisit the tv series Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? the sequel to the 1960's tv series.Of course, I had to then watch the film version of the show made in 1976.In the plethora of movie adaptations made out of 1970's British sitcoms, The Likely Lads is right up there with the best of them, that includes the Steptoe and On the Buses movies and the rather good Porridge adaptation.While its not exactly breaking any new comedy ground,it is very in touch with the 1970's tv series and its basically a new plot rather than stringing together old storylines from the series, which is what the rather maligned Rising Damp movie did,(although it has many critics i still love the Rising Damp film).And like the tv show the main thrust of the story is James Bolam as Terry Collier influence over his long-suffering friend Rodney Bewes as Bob Ferris, and the angst this causes Bob's wife Brigit Forsyth as Thelma Ferris.Of course being a very 70's style tv show you would expect a string of smutty innuendo in the movie, but it is a far cleverer written script than most of the British comedy output in that period.This is down to the comedy writing talents of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who are responsible for writing Hannibal Brooks (1968), Villain (1971) and of course Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.On top of this, the three main leads of Rodney Bewes , James Bolam and Brigit Forsyth are pretty much pitch perfect.they have a true chemistry (even if this was'nt always so off screen).While it may seem all very dated to a modern generation,any body for a fondness of 1970's comedy and the show in general will not be disappointed,a nice reminder of Mr Bewes talent as a comedy actor.

[Inspector Abberline]

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Starting with a rather snappy Christmassy song "Christmas Vacation" sung by Mavis Staples, that has a great Phil Spector Wall of Sound vide to it, which accompanies a rather amusing animated credit sequence involving an accident-prone Santa Clause, this also has a nice William Hanna and Joseph Barbera feel to it.The story is pretty much the same as most Christmas movies, the family get together and the ensuing carnage and bickering that accompanies any of these festive gatherings,so we're not talking anything along the lines of Charles Dicken's or any other classic novel, anyhow the Muppets have that pretty much covered.It's pretty much another chance for Chevy Chase to act the fool in a long line of gags and pratfalls, from hanging decoration's from his house to driving his car under an articulated lorry.The film does have a rather impressive cast with Beverly D'Angelo again as his wife Ellen with Juliette Lewis as Audrey and Johnny Galecki as Rusty filling in for the kids.Not forgetting Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a snobby neighbour.While the overall feel of the film doesn't cry out as a classic Xmas movie, although like most things this is all down to personal opinion, my go-to Xmas movie has been Trading Places but I have to say that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is definitely there in second place.And while it does feel a little episodic in places, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, but it does seem that Mr Chase gets all the funny stuff to do while most of the cast just sort of stand around reacting to his imbecility. And I suppose this is what hinges on whether you find the National Lampoon movies funny or not, do you find Chevy Chase funny???but thats a question for another day...

national-lampoons-christmas-vacation-570bc1da25945.jpg

[profondo rosso]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Starting with a rather snappy Christmassy song "Christmas Vacation" sung by Mavis Staples, that has a great Phil Spector Wall of Sound vide to it, which accompanies a rather amusing animated credit sequence involving an accident-prone Santa Clause, this also has a nice William Hanna and Joseph Barbera feel to it.The story is pretty much the same as most Christmas movies, the family get together and the ensuing carnage and bickering that accompanies any of these festive gatherings,so we're not talking anything along the lines of Charles Dicken's or any other classic novel, anyhow the Muppets have that pretty much covered.It's pretty much another chance for Chevy Chase to act the fool in a long line of gags and pratfalls, from hanging decoration's from his house to driving his car under an articulated lorry.The film does have a rather impressive cast with Beverly D'Angelo again as his wife Ellen with Juliette Lewis as Audrey and Johnny Galecki as Rusty filling in for the kids.Not forgetting Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a snobby neighbour.While the overall feel of the film doesn't cry out as a classic Xmas movie, although like most things this is all down to personal opinion, my go-to Xmas movie has been Trading Places but I have to say that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is definitely there in second place.And while it does feel a little episodic in places, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, but it does seem that Mr Chase gets all the funny stuff to do while most of the cast just sort of stand around reacting to his imbecility. And I suppose this is what hinges on whether you find the National Lampoon movies funny or not, do you find Chevy Chase funny???but thats a question for another day...

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I love this film Inspector and watch it every Xmas. I dont know what it is, as it is not a classic by a long chalk, but it just ticks my boxes for a sit back, enjoy it for what it is movie. Most Xmas movies grate with me, I find them irritating and usually let the missus get on with it as she loves them, most make me want to throw up (Humbug). This is not one of them, Trading places is also good. I would also lump Krampus in there now too, great Xmas film. I dont need snow, singing etc. in movies to make it feel Christmassy.....I like Jack the Giant Killer, Jason and the Argonauts and One Million Years B.C these were the films I looked for in the Xmas Radio / TV times when I was a sprog, still make me feel festive even now.

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by profondo rosso

I love this film Inspector and watch it every Xmas. I dont know what it is, as it is not a classic by a long chalk, but it just ticks my boxes for a sit back, enjoy it for what it is movie. Most Xmas movies grate with me, I find them irritating and usually let the missus get on with it as she loves them, most make me want to throw up (Humbug). This is not one of them, Trading places is also good. I would also lump Krampus in there now too, great Xmas film. I dont need snow, singing etc. in movies to make it feel Christmassy.....I like Jack the Giant Killer, Jason and the Argonauts and One Million Years B.C these were the films I looked for in the Radio / TV times when I was a sprog, still make me festive even now.

Yeah i totally agree,the classic old-school fantasy film was a treat back then, nowadays Id only buy the Radio Times to light the fire with...also Christmas Vacation manages to sneak in a nice smutty moment when Chevy is being served by the shop assistant while he's browsing the underwear. .

[profondo rosso]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Yeah i totally agree,the classic old-school fantasy film was a treat back then, nowadays Id only buy the Radio Times to light the fire with...also Christmas Vacation manages to sneak in a nice smutty moment when Chevy is being served by the shop assistant while he's browsing the underwear. .

Yeah, I have to sit side on for that scene!

[Inspector Abberline]

George and Mildred (1980).
Reading some of the critics reviews about this film at the time of release, you would think that it was some sort of depraved video nasty destined to create hate and violence to whoever watches it.The sad fact was that this was the last thing Yootha Joyce made before she died in 1980, which probably isn't the best epitaph to her long and varied career.So in the film's defence, I have to say you cannot really blame the cast, everybody from the tv show is present and correct, except dear old Roy Kinnear who often popped up in the tv show as George's dodgy mate as a recurring guest, and would of definitely brighten up the proceedings if he had been included in the film.The plot as thin and as ludicrous as it is, involve's Brian Murphy as George Roper taking Mildred on a second honeymoon at the London Hotel, only to be mistaken as a ruthless assassin,(yes pushing the boundaries of credibility to the max, the mind literally does boggle).With Stratford Johns as Harry Pinto a bald-headed London gangster and Kenneth Cope as Harvey a rival assassin, the plot is about as far removed from the mundanity of suburban life that the tv show created as you could get.Apart Mildred's dresses the film also looks bland and drab, which to be honest is pretty much how I remember that transition from the 70's to the early 1980's. This was pretty much the death of the TV sitcom movie spin-off, with the Rising Damp movie coming out the same year.While no one in their right mind can say its a particularly good movie, it does have the same appeal as slowing down to look at a car crash, you know you shouldn't look but you just can't help yourself.Probably not getting the HI-def treeatment anytime soon.

[Demoncrat]

Well I loves it precisely because it's nowt like the show. But then I like Rentadick