Search

Search only in certain items:

Stan & Ollie (2018)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Surely-long-overdue Laurel and Hardy bio-pic focuses on their tour of British and Irish music halls in the early 50s, presumably because this is a low-ish budget British film. A sixty-something Stan and Ollie have to try and persuade the world they haven't died or retired just yet while waiting for the finance on a new movie to come together and coping with some long-standing tensions in their relationship.

Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.
  
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
2004 | Comedy
6
7.4 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Meet the Fockers is a less subtle, and far more slapstick affair than the first film, and it's just not as tight. It's comedy relies a little too much on callbacks to Meet the Parents and a lot of the characters are extremely cartoon-y, however, and perhaps most importantly, it's still a good time.
Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman are welcome additions as the Focker parents, and their liberal lifestyle works at odds with Jack Byrne's uptight nature. It provides the bulk of the funny moments this time around.
The plot is essentially the same as the first film, just set in Miami, and as such follows a predictable beat, but it's a safe one that provides an easy watch, backed by some reliably pleasant Randy Newman music.

An inferior sequel then, but one that serves its purpose. An easy re-watch option for when you've been scrolling through Netflix for far too long.
  
Ghostbusters (2016)
Ghostbusters (2016)
2016 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Decent Cgi for the Ghosts (1 more)
Good cast chemistry
Feels like it was aimed at a very young audience. (0 more)
Who ya gonna call?
Well this caused a stir among the Fanboys. I really like the original but not so much I don't think anyone should make another Ghostbusters film. Some didn't like the idea of an all female team this time round, who cares? From the director of @Spy (2015) , @The Heat (2013) @Bridesmaids (2011) , along with some cast members from the latter. This had a good comedy team involved. It's not great, the humour is more on the silly and slapstick side, a bit crude at times as well. The Cgi and ghost designs were pretty good, if a little cartoonish. Almost like something out of Scooby-Doo. Something that makes me feel this was aimed a young audience and not really fans of the original. It has some nice cameos but overall it's an average film. Watch and make your own mind up.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated A Chump at Oxford (1940) in Movies

Mar 24, 2019 (Updated Mar 24, 2019)  
A Chump at Oxford (1940)
A Chump at Oxford (1940)
1940 | Comedy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Disjointed L&H slapstick comedy, one of their last films for Hal Roach. Originally made as a 40-minute 'streamlined feature' and was extended to 62 minutes by the addition of an opening section which is a tidied-up remake of their 1928 short From Soup to Nuts; naturally, this has no connection with the rest of the story. Stan and Ollie try their hands at catering (badly), stop a robbery (accidentally) and as a reward are sent to Oxford University to better themselves. They antagonise the local students which leads to some surprising revelations as to Stan's past.

The individual sections are not too bad, but the episodic nature of the film means it feels longer than an hour; there are some good bits, but also a sense of the boys having run out of ideas and either repeating themselves or trying too hard. Spotting Peter Cushing (this is possibly the best-known of the films he made while in Hollywood for a couple of years as a young man) adds to the fun, though.
  
The Death of Downton Tabby
The Death of Downton Tabby
Mandy Morton | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Mystery
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Definitely unique (2 more)
Good murder mystery
So many puns
Gory (0 more)
So this book aims to be a comedy take on a murder mystery. This is achieved by making all the characters names (including the famous author Downton Tabby) puns on real life characters. So many puns in fact it would give Dad's a run for their money.
I spent a good half of the book just trying to figure out the logistics in my mind of how cats could ride motorcycles or have a profession like a Baker. After getting through that, it was time for the murders to start.
I will say, for a slapstick take on a murder mystery it was a lot more gory than I had predicted. So if you don't like descriptions of gore then this is not the book for you.
Although I read it to the end, it was more because I had gotten this far rather than enjoying it. It was good. I really enjoyed the puns scattered through the book but I didn't really enjoy the plot. However, it is an entertaining summer read.