Long time no see, today I'm blogging from the kitchen, halfway through making an absolute mess, halfway through making a bread and butter pudding. What a great pudding. For a christmassy twist, I've used panettone instead of bread. I've never made any type of bread and butter pudding before and I've made up the recipe so it could be an utter shambles. That's why I don't have a food blog.
Anyway, we're hear to talk about Paddington 2. I saw this last Tuesday, as although the film has been out for a while, there are still plenty of screenings, and there was one in the day at 2pm. I'm now a layabout student who has nothing to do Monday - Wednesday (she says this as she picks up extra shifts) so that just suited me fine.
For anyone who has seen the first film and loved it, this sequel is just as good. It's silly, funny and charming, and it has a decent plot line, as long as you are willing to let your imagination run away with you. There were parts of the film where I was trying to stifle laughter, as the only people in the cinema was me, and a mother and toddler combo, and I thought it would be a bit weird to have a 24 year old howling with laughter in the corner.
The plot follows Paddington as he tries to earn and save money to buy his Aunt Lucy a perfect 100th Birthday present. Paddington starts his own window cleaning business, but somehow ends up in a spot of bother, and gets sent to jail. Now he needs to get out, get justice, AND get Aunt Lucy a present.
The film is full of familiar faces, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Ben Miller, Hugh Grant, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Lumley, to name but a few. The film was co-written by Simon Farnaby, who also has a cameo. I really like Farnaby's work, and comedy. If you are a fan of the Boosh, or this years absolute classic 'Mindhorn', you might recognise him. He also starred in 2009's 'The Bunny and the Bull', a rare film I saw pre-2015. Another great surprise was the brief yet fantastic appearance of Richard Ayoade, a man who could just stand still and do nothing, and I'd still be crying with laughter. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the cast is great and the acting is brilliant. It looks like a lot of fun was had on the set.
I've just put the bread and butter pudding in the oven. Keep reading this and the next reviews for updates.
The whole production of the film is surreal is not realistic by any stretch of the imagination. Many of you will know I love a true to life film, or a documentary, or an interesting but realistic plot. However, I do like things that are fantastical in this sort of way. If you forget about reality and rhyme and reason, and let the film capture your imagination, you will love it. It's a shame the film won't be out on DVD for a while, because it's definitely a film perfect for watching with the family around Christmas, appealing to all ages (Probably the reason why it's out now isn't it)
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film, and have to give it a 9/10. It was brilliant.
Showing posts with label Simon Farnaby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simon Farnaby. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Saturday, 13 May 2017
22. Mindhorn
When I first saw the trailer for this film, I honestly couldn't contain my excitement - I think if you saw the trailer and had the same opinion, you won't be disappointed. However, I do think that you have to 'get' a certain type of humour/comedy style to enjoy it. I love alternative/surreal comedy, so just the thought of something with Julian Barratt AND Steve Coogan is like my dream. I then also realised Russell Tovey was in the film and I was even more excited.
The plot follows Richard Thorncroft (Barratt), who is a failing actor dreaming of any work bigger than a toothpaste advert. His biggest role was as the title character in 80s detective series 'Mindhorn'. Mindhorn's USP is the fact he can see the truth. Thorncroft's agent sorts him out with a job helping the police - there's a killer on the loose on the Isle of Man (Mindhorn's hometown), and he is proposing he will only speak to Mindhorn, despite him being fictional. Thorncroft travels to the island, meeting old flames and work mates whilst trying to solve the murder and catch the killer.
The film was everything I wanted it to be, it was funny, silly, you could even say there was a plot twist - it was truly great and I couldn't stop laughing. I'd honestly watch it again right now, and very few films I feel like I could watch over and over in close proximity. I know in a lot of my reviews I talk about things like morals and character development and interactions and all that rubbish, but there isn't much to say about this film. It simply does what it says on the tin, and it executes it really well. Barratt is so good at playing the 'uncool' character trying to play it cool - Coogan is great as the rival costar. Thorncroft's old stuntman is played by Simon Faranby (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Barratt) - if you are a Boosh fan you may recognise him- and he is excellent part of an interesting love triangle, throwing hilarious insults in Thorncroft's direction.
Mindhorn really did live up to my expectation, it was laugh out loud funny all the way through and just was such a lighthearted easy watch. It hit my idea film time of 1 hour 30 minutes, was full of great comedians and looked like they must have had a great time filming it. My one criticism would be that it wasn't quite as good as Alan Partridge:Alpha Papa. That may be because we are so familiar with Alan, and he is already a character who we know and love, whereas Thorncroft & Mindhorn are totally new. With that, I urge you to watch both - and I give Mindhorn a solid 9/10! (If you don't like this type of film/comedy though, I feel like you may sit all the way through the film wondering what's going on)
The plot follows Richard Thorncroft (Barratt), who is a failing actor dreaming of any work bigger than a toothpaste advert. His biggest role was as the title character in 80s detective series 'Mindhorn'. Mindhorn's USP is the fact he can see the truth. Thorncroft's agent sorts him out with a job helping the police - there's a killer on the loose on the Isle of Man (Mindhorn's hometown), and he is proposing he will only speak to Mindhorn, despite him being fictional. Thorncroft travels to the island, meeting old flames and work mates whilst trying to solve the murder and catch the killer.
The film was everything I wanted it to be, it was funny, silly, you could even say there was a plot twist - it was truly great and I couldn't stop laughing. I'd honestly watch it again right now, and very few films I feel like I could watch over and over in close proximity. I know in a lot of my reviews I talk about things like morals and character development and interactions and all that rubbish, but there isn't much to say about this film. It simply does what it says on the tin, and it executes it really well. Barratt is so good at playing the 'uncool' character trying to play it cool - Coogan is great as the rival costar. Thorncroft's old stuntman is played by Simon Faranby (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Barratt) - if you are a Boosh fan you may recognise him- and he is excellent part of an interesting love triangle, throwing hilarious insults in Thorncroft's direction.
Mindhorn really did live up to my expectation, it was laugh out loud funny all the way through and just was such a lighthearted easy watch. It hit my idea film time of 1 hour 30 minutes, was full of great comedians and looked like they must have had a great time filming it. My one criticism would be that it wasn't quite as good as Alan Partridge:Alpha Papa. That may be because we are so familiar with Alan, and he is already a character who we know and love, whereas Thorncroft & Mindhorn are totally new. With that, I urge you to watch both - and I give Mindhorn a solid 9/10! (If you don't like this type of film/comedy though, I feel like you may sit all the way through the film wondering what's going on)
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