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Lee (2222 KP) rated What We Do In The Shadows (2014) in Movies
Oct 31, 2018 (Updated Oct 31, 2018)
Jemaine Clement, brilliant as always (1 more)
Taika Waititi, also brilliant as always
Very Funny
Decided to watch this classic again as part of my Halloween movie session. A very funny mockumentary following a bunch of vampires who all share a house and bicker over things like not doing the dishes or not cleaning up the mess after one of them has feasted on some virgins. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi are both brilliant in this. Rhys Darby also makes a very funny appearance as leader of a bunch of local werewolves and those are some of my favourite moments ("We're werewolves, not swearwolves").
Erika (17788 KP) rated Legion - Season 1 in TV
Dec 10, 2017
First things first, Aubrey Plaza was amazing. Then you through in Dan Stevens and Jemaine Clement? I loved it. I haven't really been able to get into Marvel TV properties, aside from Agent Carter. But, I couldn't resist Legion/David Haller. The visuals were psychedelic, and I really dug the aesthetic.
I wish the season was longer, and I really want the second season to air already, after that cliffhanger.
I wish the season was longer, and I really want the second season to air already, after that cliffhanger.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated What We Do In The Shadows (2014) in Movies
Jan 12, 2019
A hilarious mockumentary
This is by far one of the funniest mockumentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s a hilarious take on vampires, following them around their daily lives in the run up to the Unholy Masquerade, it has some cracking one liners and truly funny scenes. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are fantastic, and the rest of the cast too play their roles perfectly. The rivalry between the vampires and the werewolves is a particular highlight. The dialogue is great and the entire film looks fabulous too. I’ve watched this again for the first time in years, and I haven’t laughed this much in a long time.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated What We Do In The Shadows (2014) in Movies
Sep 27, 2020
What We Do in the Shadows is just great.
Pretty much every line of dialogue is hilarious, and very subtle most of the time.
There's a lot of funny dry humour here, excentuated wholeheartedly by the New Zealand accent.
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are fantastic both behind and in front of camera, and the rest of the cast, in particular Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Jonny Brugh are brilliant as well. Special kudos to Stu Rutherford for giving us a character that even vampires don't want to die.
The horror element is pretty good also. It plays on many vampire tropes well still managing to be suitably bloody when it needs to be.
What We Do in the Shadows is just an all round wonderful movie, something I find myself thinking for most things that Taika Waititi touches.
Pretty much every line of dialogue is hilarious, and very subtle most of the time.
There's a lot of funny dry humour here, excentuated wholeheartedly by the New Zealand accent.
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are fantastic both behind and in front of camera, and the rest of the cast, in particular Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Jonny Brugh are brilliant as well. Special kudos to Stu Rutherford for giving us a character that even vampires don't want to die.
The horror element is pretty good also. It plays on many vampire tropes well still managing to be suitably bloody when it needs to be.
What We Do in the Shadows is just an all round wonderful movie, something I find myself thinking for most things that Taika Waititi touches.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Gentlemen Broncos (2009) in Movies
Jan 19, 2018
This movie will definitely not be for everyone. It's along the same lines as Napoleon Dynamite (same director), so it's incredibly awkward at some points. Benjamin is an aspiring writer, whose mother tries to get him to make friends with Dusty (Mike White), and let's him go to a writing seminar. At this writing seminar, he meets his favorite author, Chevalier (Jemaine Clement), and turns in his story about Bronco to be judged to win a competition. Chevalier needs a story, so he takes Benjamin's story, changes some things (Bronco to Brutus), and publishes it as his own.
Benjamin, of course, isn't aware of this, and he let's his friend, Lonnie, make a completely awful movie based on the story. After the premiere of this awful movie, Benjamin picks up Chevalier's new book, and realizes he stole his story.
Bronco/Brutus is played by Sam Rockwell. Rockwell does an amazing job in both the roles of Bronco and Brutus.
The whole movie is hilariously awkward.
Benjamin, of course, isn't aware of this, and he let's his friend, Lonnie, make a completely awful movie based on the story. After the premiere of this awful movie, Benjamin picks up Chevalier's new book, and realizes he stole his story.
Bronco/Brutus is played by Sam Rockwell. Rockwell does an amazing job in both the roles of Bronco and Brutus.
The whole movie is hilariously awkward.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Festival (2018) in Movies
Aug 29, 2018
Fairly enjoyable comedy
The Festival is directed by Iain Morris, who co-created and wrote The Inbetweeners show and subsequent movies. It feels just like another Inbetweeners movie too, especially as star Joe Thomas plays what appears to be an exact copy of his Inbetweeners character Simon, pining for his girlfriend and obsessing over her throughout the movie. The result is a fairly likeable and enjoyable comedy, still a lot better than most movie comedies these days, and with some laugh out loud moments. But, you can't help comparing it to The Inbetweeners and, unfortunately, it's just nowhere near as good as that.
In The Festival, Joe Thomas plays Nick, preparing to graduate and soon to head off to a festival with best friend Shane and girlfriend Caitlin. After a cringe-worthy ejaculation gag involving his mother, getting dumped by Caitlin and having a breakdown on stage at his graduation ceremony, Nick becomes depressed and it's up to Shane to try and drag him along to the festival and moveon with life. On the train to the festival they meet up with Amy, who's also on her way to the festival, and when they do finally get there they end up camping right next to ex-girlfriend Caitlin and her friends.
Your level of enjoyment throughout The Festival is going to vary depending on how you feel about festivals as a whole. If you're like Nick for much of the movie, then you're going to share his discomfort with the mud, the toilets and the cramped camping arrangements, laughing at him and his frustrations with it all ("I just want to go home and have a nice shower and a poo!"). If you're a festival goer yourself then you'll revel in the whole experience lived out on screen, as the movie was actually filmed during a real festival. Along the way there's drink, drugs, druids(!) and nudity for Nick to endure as he hopes to get back with Caitlin, and then later on a blue smurf girl who he hooks up with for a one night stand.
The supporting cast are all fairly funny, particularly Hammed Animashaun and Claudia O'Doherty as friends Shane and Amy. But, it's the brilliant Jemaine Clement as Shanes stepdad who manages to steal every single scene he's in and is just hilarious. Sadly though he's not in it as much as he should be.
In The Festival, Joe Thomas plays Nick, preparing to graduate and soon to head off to a festival with best friend Shane and girlfriend Caitlin. After a cringe-worthy ejaculation gag involving his mother, getting dumped by Caitlin and having a breakdown on stage at his graduation ceremony, Nick becomes depressed and it's up to Shane to try and drag him along to the festival and moveon with life. On the train to the festival they meet up with Amy, who's also on her way to the festival, and when they do finally get there they end up camping right next to ex-girlfriend Caitlin and her friends.
Your level of enjoyment throughout The Festival is going to vary depending on how you feel about festivals as a whole. If you're like Nick for much of the movie, then you're going to share his discomfort with the mud, the toilets and the cramped camping arrangements, laughing at him and his frustrations with it all ("I just want to go home and have a nice shower and a poo!"). If you're a festival goer yourself then you'll revel in the whole experience lived out on screen, as the movie was actually filmed during a real festival. Along the way there's drink, drugs, druids(!) and nudity for Nick to endure as he hopes to get back with Caitlin, and then later on a blue smurf girl who he hooks up with for a one night stand.
The supporting cast are all fairly funny, particularly Hammed Animashaun and Claudia O'Doherty as friends Shane and Amy. But, it's the brilliant Jemaine Clement as Shanes stepdad who manages to steal every single scene he's in and is just hilarious. Sadly though he's not in it as much as he should be.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated What We Do in the Shadows- Season 1 in TV
Jul 8, 2019
Hilariously wacky
When I first heard they were making a tv show out of the film, I was worried. The film is comedy genius, and I was concerned this wouldn’t meet my high expectations. However my worries were completely unfounded, as this show is a revelation.
Firstly, it has been created and produced by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi so you know it’s in good hands. And right from the start you can see how similar this show is to the film - same title music, same documentary style, and the same style of humour and ridiculously silly main characters. Despite the massive similarities though this is very much it’s own show and very good and hilarious in it’s own right. The cast are fantastic, I’ve loved Kayvan Novak since Four Lion and he’s a brilliant choice alongside Matt Berry. I can’t express how funny and clever this show is, and my favourite episode was by far the one with the Vampiric Council. I was downright hysterical watching this and some of the cameos in this are sheer brilliance (including some very familiar faces). And at 25 minutes an episode, nothing ever drags and in fact I actually wanted more.
I really hope they make more series of this, it’d be a crime not to!
Firstly, it has been created and produced by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi so you know it’s in good hands. And right from the start you can see how similar this show is to the film - same title music, same documentary style, and the same style of humour and ridiculously silly main characters. Despite the massive similarities though this is very much it’s own show and very good and hilarious in it’s own right. The cast are fantastic, I’ve loved Kayvan Novak since Four Lion and he’s a brilliant choice alongside Matt Berry. I can’t express how funny and clever this show is, and my favourite episode was by far the one with the Vampiric Council. I was downright hysterical watching this and some of the cameos in this are sheer brilliance (including some very familiar faces). And at 25 minutes an episode, nothing ever drags and in fact I actually wanted more.
I really hope they make more series of this, it’d be a crime not to!
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Gentlemen Broncos (2009) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
I get a lot of the disdain but honestly, this is pretty much the exact natural evolution of 𝘕𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦 - for better and for worse. Am I proving the (brilliant) point of this film - portraying the intrinsic merits of an original idea over that same idea bastardized by greedy agencies and/or people who claim to be supportive while in the same breath spitefully swearing 'their version' is inherently better - in suggesting that if Hess would have restrained his weird Hess-isms just a smidge, that this downright compelling premise would have built up a bit more crucial meat which would have made this the great film it deserves to be? Then again, if that were the case this would have also missed out on its deliriously kooky atmosphere which provides such unforgettable nuance. I don't get much out of the main characters here but the supporting ones are next-level delish - Sam Rockwell and Jemaine Clement are fully game for this ravishing surrealism and it shows. Has some funny fuckin' moments but - as with most of the director's work - I admit that it strains from time to time. It also happens to be both gorgeous design-fetishism *and* has a dope soundtrack - Jared Hess is essentially Wes Anderson if he was obsessed with gradeschool potty humor.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated What We Do in the Shadows - Season 2 in TV
Jul 21, 2020
Still going strong
I always worry with tv shows, especially ones that have been brilliant in the past, that subsequent seasons are never going to live up to expectations. However this is not a problem so far for What We Do in the Shadows and this second series is just as brilliant as the first.
To say this show is hilarious would be an understatement. It’s so clever and funny and full of dark off beat humour, I cracked up constantly at every episode. Whilst Taika Waititi was apparently too busy on other projects to resume duties on this season, it was great to see that Jemaine Clement was still very much in charge and you can tell the formula and style of the show hasn’t changed (it’d be a travesty if it ever did). I have to give a shout out this season to Natasia Demetriou as Nadja is now by far my favourite character. Hearing her exasperations and admonitions at Lazlo is so funny and sums up how I feel most of the time! It was also great to see Colin Robinson taking a more prominent role in the group this time round as he’s such a wonderful deadpan character. There are also some wonderful guest stars this season too, they’ve really got some great names playing some hilarious roles (Mark Hamill and Benedict Wong are highlights) and while I didn’t think there was a standout episode for guests like the Vampiric Council in season 1, the guest episodes individually in season 2 were all a very high standard.
I’m never one to advocate dragging tv shows out unnecessarily, but I really think What We Do in the Shadows is an exception. If they can carry on making this show to this excellent standard with the same cast and crew, then they need to make as much as possible. 10 episodes a season just isn’t long enough, watching this is the highlight of my year and I can’t wait to see more.
To say this show is hilarious would be an understatement. It’s so clever and funny and full of dark off beat humour, I cracked up constantly at every episode. Whilst Taika Waititi was apparently too busy on other projects to resume duties on this season, it was great to see that Jemaine Clement was still very much in charge and you can tell the formula and style of the show hasn’t changed (it’d be a travesty if it ever did). I have to give a shout out this season to Natasia Demetriou as Nadja is now by far my favourite character. Hearing her exasperations and admonitions at Lazlo is so funny and sums up how I feel most of the time! It was also great to see Colin Robinson taking a more prominent role in the group this time round as he’s such a wonderful deadpan character. There are also some wonderful guest stars this season too, they’ve really got some great names playing some hilarious roles (Mark Hamill and Benedict Wong are highlights) and while I didn’t think there was a standout episode for guests like the Vampiric Council in season 1, the guest episodes individually in season 2 were all a very high standard.
I’m never one to advocate dragging tv shows out unnecessarily, but I really think What We Do in the Shadows is an exception. If they can carry on making this show to this excellent standard with the same cast and crew, then they need to make as much as possible. 10 episodes a season just isn’t long enough, watching this is the highlight of my year and I can’t wait to see more.
TacoDave (3496 KP) rated Gentlemen Broncos (2009) in Movies
Oct 30, 2019 (Updated Oct 30, 2019)
dry humor (2 more)
great actors
unique feel
I love this weird movie.
I love Gentelmen Broncos. Full stop.
I saw it for the first time in a theater where I was the only customer, and I was a bit wary of watching a comedy by myself, but it ended up being a great experience. This film is written and directed by the same people who made Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which should let you know out of the gate that it is a bit abnormal.
The plot centers around a teenage boy named Benjamin who writes science fiction novels. Benjamin is headed off to a writing camp for home-schooled kids. In the bus on the way to camp he meets some other interesting teens and becomes fast friends with a few of them.
Once at the writing camp, he discovers that his favorite author - Ronald Chevalier (played by the hilarious Jemaine Clement) - will be judging everyone's writing. Overjoyed by this news, Benjamin submits his "best" book "Yeast Lords" into the competition. But it seems that things are not what they seem, because Chevalier has a bad case of writer's block, so he steals the plot of "Yeast Lords" and turns it into a new novel that keeps some elements, but destroys others.
Will Benjamin be able to prove a famous author stole his story? Can Benjamin and his friends film their own version of "Yeast Lords" and make a successful movie out of it? Can Benjamin kiss a girl without puking?
Interspersed with the regular scenes of the movie are scenes from the story "Yeast Lords" where Sam Rockwell (amazing, as always) plays the hero Bronco. These scenes morph and shift over the course of the movie as Bronco turns from a manly, tough hero into an effeminate oddball once Chevalier rewrites the story. Watching this transition is fascinating and hilarious.
And interspersed between everything else are oddball character moments that don't add to the plot, but are quirky and funny.
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everyone. It is weird. Some of the humor is so dry you need a drink afterwards. But for my sense of humor, it was dead-on. I have watched it many times, I own it on Blu-ray, and I show it to friends.
Give the trailer a try and see if it is your cup of tea. You'll either hate it (and curse me), or you'll love it and become a fan.
I saw it for the first time in a theater where I was the only customer, and I was a bit wary of watching a comedy by myself, but it ended up being a great experience. This film is written and directed by the same people who made Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which should let you know out of the gate that it is a bit abnormal.
The plot centers around a teenage boy named Benjamin who writes science fiction novels. Benjamin is headed off to a writing camp for home-schooled kids. In the bus on the way to camp he meets some other interesting teens and becomes fast friends with a few of them.
Once at the writing camp, he discovers that his favorite author - Ronald Chevalier (played by the hilarious Jemaine Clement) - will be judging everyone's writing. Overjoyed by this news, Benjamin submits his "best" book "Yeast Lords" into the competition. But it seems that things are not what they seem, because Chevalier has a bad case of writer's block, so he steals the plot of "Yeast Lords" and turns it into a new novel that keeps some elements, but destroys others.
Will Benjamin be able to prove a famous author stole his story? Can Benjamin and his friends film their own version of "Yeast Lords" and make a successful movie out of it? Can Benjamin kiss a girl without puking?
Interspersed with the regular scenes of the movie are scenes from the story "Yeast Lords" where Sam Rockwell (amazing, as always) plays the hero Bronco. These scenes morph and shift over the course of the movie as Bronco turns from a manly, tough hero into an effeminate oddball once Chevalier rewrites the story. Watching this transition is fascinating and hilarious.
And interspersed between everything else are oddball character moments that don't add to the plot, but are quirky and funny.
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everyone. It is weird. Some of the humor is so dry you need a drink afterwards. But for my sense of humor, it was dead-on. I have watched it many times, I own it on Blu-ray, and I show it to friends.
Give the trailer a try and see if it is your cup of tea. You'll either hate it (and curse me), or you'll love it and become a fan.