Out of England by Ricky Gervais

Out of England by Ricky Gervais

                Ricky Gervais is the King of British comedy

                At least this is what his standup act proclaims in the introduction.

                There are two ways to look at this:

One: to think that this is presumptuous, arrogant, narcissistic, self-congratulatory and ultimately…Trumpish

Two: is the more appropriate option, for the intention is to use self- deprecatory humor,         while also boasting about some real achievements, like the biggest number of downloads, the extraordinary success obtained by The Office

Take the helicopter ride and his telling of the story, involving the period of the ash clouds coming from Iceland:

What is the point of Iceland? Why don’t they use concrete to cover those volcanoes up? I could not get to the show…

Well, I had to take a helicopter for 12,000 pounds…I could take the ferry, but there are other people on board…

Then there is the usual teasing of the public, with how does it feel to live in a third world country, after highlighting the fact that thousands of dollars are only worth some few hundred pounds- although that is no longer the case.

The comedian then says that he will test some jokes on this audience, the ones they laugh at, he will continue to use along the tour and the bits they are quiet at he will drop, hence they get some exclusive material…

Shitty though that is.

Ricky Gervais admits that he pushes the limits to extremes that are unacceptable or simply incomprehensible for various individuals, or categories of people, like those who are at an age where it is difficult to take pedophile jokes.

Not that this is way for most people, never mind the idea that they might enjoy their absurdity or humor.

For instance, the performer mentions a social occasion where he told the joke with the girl who fell from the swing.

Why? Because she had no arms…

Continuing on this outré path, he tells another one with a six year old who returns home from the playground and tells her father about this man, who came and told the other children to go away so that he can be alone with her, took her to an isolated place, took his thing out…

The parent keeps prompting his daughter to go on and asks “and then” which he uses after that awful moment:

And then?

Nothing…

Oh, come on….make something up.

One of the main points in telling this joke seems to be that there is no subject on which one cannot make jokes.

On a radio show, Ricky Gervais has been attacked for his targeting of fat, which are exactly like gays, in the view of that commentator

Only the comedian offers an objective and funny response- gay people are born with their sexual orientation, whereas the overweight make an option to eat more calories than they burn during the day.

In this humorous scenario, Gervais depicts a sixteen year old that is prompted by his father to…”have oral sex with a man” in spite of his objections that he is not homosexual: “how do you know, if you have not tried it?”

There is another case of borderline humor, which could be rejected by religious, evangelical people, wherein he talks about God giving AIDS to people in Africa and then killing the pet given as a Christmas present to a relative, after being rescued from the Animal shelter, where it had been given a day to live.

In a segment that recalls Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais takes on the Bible and the Noah episode in particular.

A virulent opponent of religion, the artist points out the absurdity of believing that millions of animals have been all placed on a ship, no matter how large, wherein they would necessarily eat each other, given their places on the food chain.

In conclusion, listening to the Ricky Gervais shows is provocative, certainly challenging for many, albeit those fundamentalists would surely avoid participating, but they are ultimately educational as well as funny, often hilarious.

AristoCats by Tom McGowan, Tom Rowe and… seven other writers

AristoCats by Tom McGowan, Tom Rowe and… seven other writers

                I loved the AristoCats!

                However, it was…thirty years ago…

                Cartoons were meant to be for children, when I was a little boy.

                Now, it seems this is the level of the American president.

A man who states with pride that he does not read and needs everything on one page, which must include references to…himself.

                Otherwise, his goldfish attention span will just make him lose interest.

Alas, as many comedians point out, Trump is not an outlier, maybe not even an accident that can happen even in most advanced democracies.

                He is a reflection, maybe the epitome of what happens in society.

So many voters get their “cultural intake” from cinema fare that is based on comic books, many worse than animation movies.

Indeed, one can easily dismiss Transformers, Iron Man one, two to twenty and other such productions as much worse than:

                The AristoCats

Bill Maher was pondering this issue in his latest episode of the effervescent, cultural HBO show:

                Real Time

Americans often pretend they go to a bookshop to buy something to read, only that is a…calendar with cats

Furthermore and equally outrageous, one can find on display coloring books for…adults in a section that should be called…

               

Seriously?

                AristoCats is an aristocratic, noble film in so many ways.

Duchess and her Berlioz, Toulouse and Marie are sophisticated, admirable, ebullient, gracious creatures…

                If cats

                But then:

“Ev'rybody, Ev'rybody

Ev'rybody wants to be a cat”

Most people don’t know that…to quote the leader of the free world who keeps saying that, even if the same Bill Maher underlines that:

This proves what a ridiculous fool this leader is, with a propinquity to kindergarten children, stating the obvious that

                Everybody knows

                Any of the AristoCats is more intelligent than this buffoon.

Thomas O’Malley, the alley cat, is more endearing, better behaved, more respectful, moral and ethical than the always-lying Donald.

Why would a viewer make this forced connection between the Duchesse, Berlioz, Toulouse, Marie, O’Malley and The Donald?

First- this CEO of America seems to be the crude, simple adult that watches cartoons and comic book based motion pictures.

Second- The AristoCats, as aforementioned are actually beyond the comprehension-now there’s a word this orange jerk probably does not understand- of a man that grabs women by their genitals and/or brags about that.

Third and to conclude: it seems to this viewer that AristoCats is in part about a thousand fold more clever, superior, charming, effervescent, triumphant, clever, way more modest, feline version of Donald, who thinks of himself as:

               

“I'm king of the highway

Prince of the boulevard

Duke of the Avant-garde

The world is my backyard

So if you're goin' my way

That's the road you wanna seek

Calcutta to Rome or home sweet home

In Paris, Magnifique, you all…”

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Phantom Thread, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Phantom Thread, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Phantom Thread has been nominated for a remarkable six Academy Awards, including the important:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role…

Best Director, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Best Achievement in Costume Design and…

Best Picture

Viewers could feel that the Academy has been too generous.

If we consider that this film only had two Golden Globes and the BAFTA nominations do not include Best Picture, we could harbor doubts.

On the other hand, Phantom Thread has an impressive Metascore of Ninety, which means critics loved it.

They appreciated this work of art as nearly…perfect!

This viewer begs to differ.

There is of course a lot to admire in this motion picture.

Daniel Day Lewis is so accomplished, such an artist that he transcends the screen in many moments.

And yet, even at this performance the undersigned would say that it is not on a level with the now classic

My Left Foot

For this film, Daniel Day Lewis has been taking the role off the set and he refused to use his hands.

This has infuriated people near him.

One could wonder about the preparations to play Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned dressmaker.

Has Daniel Day Lewis taken materials and started to sow them, or at least make some…Phantom Threads?

The hero of this motion picture is a complicated man, with remarkable qualities, shadowed by equally large shortcomings.

Reynolds Woodcock is an artist, creator of fabulous dresses and royalty, the rich, movie stars love his work.

On the other hand, he can be so obnoxious, pretentious, arrogant, distant, rigid, derisive and lugubrious.

This is a main character that is so hard to like.

The problem for this onlooker is that Alma aka Vicky Krieps is also difficult to admire or sympathize with.

If Reynolds Woodcock has many advantages, admirable traits- well, at least his genius for designing clothes and drawing- what about the other main personage?

What traits does Alma have that could render her pleasant?

Difficult to say.

She appears to love Reynolds, but at the same time, it appears that she uses poisonous mushrooms for his diet.

Alma has little influence in the household controlled by Woodcock and his offensive sister, Cyril.

However, her manipulation does reach an extreme when she tries to poison the man she loves, with a dose big enough to incapacitate him, but not sufficiently large to kill him, in order to gain control over him.

At times, this feels like the archetypal love and hate bond, or maybe even a manifestation of the Stockholm syndrome.

The honest thing to do might be to admit that the meaning of most of this film escapes the undersigned.

Why is Alma risking the death of the man she is supposed to love?

Because in spite of the fact that she had worked in a restaurant, the precise knowledge of how much deadly mushroom powder one can add to the food must have surely eluded this simple woman.

This viewer finds it awkward to try to conclude regarding Phantom Thread, which has great scenes, but overall could be characterized as uneven.

Utopia, with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

Utopia, with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

Although Utopia is not one of their best comedies, Stan Laurel and his partner Oliver Hardy still make audiences laugh.

There are no fewer than seven contributors to the script of this film, but the story is rather preposterous.

In fact, it might be because so many took part in the writing that the plot is not substantial or gripping.

Stan Laurel has inherited an island and he visits the lawyers, solicitors with his inseparable friend, Oliver Hardy.

The latter is the consultant on financial matters…

Supposedly.

The lawyers inform Stan that he has now an important sum of money, an island in the Pacific and a yacht.

Only, there is inheritance tax, death tax and a number of other taxes.

Therefore, the pile of money is fast decreasing and each one of the three solicitors takes cash from it.

Finally, there is rather little to take away and that sum is soon nearly vanished, as the couple settles the accounts for their boat.

In the Marseille harbor, Stan and Oliver have trouble, as they always do, with the engine and everything else on the boat.

The captain of the big ship nearby has a solution and sends a mechanic to help the despondent duo.

Only they were just trying to get rid of an unwanted passenger who has no clue about how to handle a boat.

As they investigate their yacht, the amusing friends find a lifeboat that is meant to save four in an emergency…

What will I do?! Cries a desperate Stan

He is clearly referring to the enormous size of his companion, who looks derisive and reflexive…

Oh, I did not mean to offend you Ollie

As they sit down to eat, food disappears from the plates of the diners and they each blame the other.

Nevertheless, there is a fourth passenger on the vessel and he is stealing bread, meat and more.

They are all going through a storm and they reach an island, where they settle in apparent harmony.

A girl shows up on the shore and the four men compete with each other to be in her good graces.

In addition, to make the plot even more complicated, uranium is discovered on their land and this is a crucial moment.

For they declare their “independence”, creating a new government, with Oliver as the president.

They establish the new rules of the game very quickly, for they have a vice-president, minister for construction and one for foreign affairs.

And the people?

Well, Stan is the people and Oliver emphasizes:

You are much more, bigger than us- the three members of government.

However, things are complicated again because a big crowd arrives on the island, following the declaration that on this territory there are no taxes, no prisons and no passports and one of the newcomers challenges the four initial inhabitants.

Utopia is an amusing comedy, with some flaws.

My Father Die, written and directed by Sean Brosnan

My Father Die, written and directed by Sean Brosnan

                The plot sounds familiar…

A man kills a boy and the brother of the dead waits for a long time to extract a sweet revenge from the killer.

But is it sweet?

                Not considering the circumstances!

In The Godfather, we have seen elements that resemble aspects from My Father Die, in both parts:

One and Two.

Young Vito Corleone has to sail to America, because a local Mafioso has killed his father and then the other parent.

Many years later, decades actually, he returns in the shape of…Robert de Niro and takes his large knife out.

Vendetta!

Joe Anderson is good in the role of the hero of this film, Asher, a deaf and mute from the age of twelve.

He trains for nearly twenty years to get:

Payback

Now there is another good movie, with the ostracized Mel Gibson in the title role of a vengeful man.

Out from prison, Mel Gibson’s character tries to get his money back and make those who abused him pay.

Asher has to wait for his enemy to be released from jail.

When Ivan is finally out, he has problems with the law again.

Asher takes on a weird costume, with fur hat and glasses and is out to find where his nemesis is.

First, he has to intimidate the partner in crime of his adversary, who is also a very tough, arrogant cookie.

Therefore, we have scenes that we know from other flics.

If you do not tell me, I will torture you.

The difference here is that the messages have to be shown to the potential informer, since they are written on paper.

Remember?  The hero is deaf and mute.

When Asher shoots this hoodlum in one foot, the thug starts to reconsider his initial position that he will never talk.

As he is shot in the other foot, becoming incapacitated and later forced to use a wheel chair, the goon…

Spills the beans

Therefore, Asher has the details and interrupts Ivan the monster as he is having sex with a prostitute or sex worker, as it is probably correct to say today.

The vindictive hero hits the killer with a shovel, but this is only enough to take one eye out and there is more confrontation to come.

As it happens in all thrillers, the protagonist cannot just kill the enemies and enjoy the benefits in ten minutes of screen time.

Therefore, there is a prolonged chase, involving a motorcycle, green car and the police chasing the suspects.

The unique element in this thriller is hidden in the title.

Even though, the same Godfather, maybe the best film of all time and definitely one of the top five motion pictures, has the famous line

“ I know it was you, Fredo”

Radius, written and directed by Caroline Labreche and Steeve Leonard

Radius, written and directed by Caroline Labreche and Steeve Leonard

This is an absorbing, singular film

Without spoiler alerts, for I will not disclose anything about the finale, I must say that it is unlike the mainstream.

The ending is very different, satisfying and meaningful without falling into the “normal”, clear happy ending trap.

Having said that, one has to accept the plot, take the premise as possible in order to enjoy the last, or indeed any parts of the work.

Diego Klattenhoff is very good as Liam, the hero of this movie, but Charlotte Sullivan enchanted me.

This delightful actress has a marvelous performance in the role of Jane, the other protagonist in this story.

In the first scenes, Liam is confused and disorientated after waking up near the wreck of a pickup truck.

He tries to stop a car coming down the adjacent road, only to see it veer towards him and then stop in a field.

When he gets to this vehicle, the hero tries to talk to the driver, but there is no response and he has to open the door.

The woman driving the car is dead.

Furthermore, her eyes have an unnatural whiteness.

The man- in fact, we do not have any idea yet who he is- calls nine one or whatever number they have in Canada.

By the way, this is a good Canadian film.

The emergency operator is asking the usual questions about the location and the caller names some signs on the road.

However, when it comes to his identity…the man has to stop and look in his pockets for his wallet.

This is when he learns his name, from documents, since his memory is evidently a blank slate…

Without knowing one’s own name, we cannot talk about other useful, even minor elements that can be recalled.

On the news, reporters talk about the tragedy that has struck this area where people and animals die.

The cause is unknown in the early stages, but a terrorist attack with some chemical is suggested.

Liam meets Jane and they both have amnesia, which is slowly penetrated by some moments coming out from the past.

There is a connection between the two and the developing bond makes further developments even more intriguing and appealing.

It is soon clear that something happened to Liam and whomever he meets dies on site, when they see him.

This also happens to animals and he kills a few doves, just to prove his powers to a disbelieving man.

There is a temporary, palliative cure to this murderous condition and this is Jane, for her presence is miracle.

When the two are together, other men and women are safe, but they die as soon as the couple is separated.

The police have identified Liam as the killer responsible for the multitude of deaths and they start a manhunt.

When the woman that travels with him is seen at the hospital helping the suspect, she also becomes a wanted individual.

They are apprehended and taken to police cars, in spite of their cries that they want to be held together…

The police officers and women all die, together with bystanders at the arresting scene, when Liam is without his antidote.

As if this is not enough to terrify audiences, there are revelations about the dark past of the hero.

This is all I will reveal about this motion picture- a delightful, enjoyable, gripping thriller with a science fi premise.