Reviews

The Office, often also referred to as "The Office UK", is a British Mockumentary that focuses on the day to day lives of the people who work at the fictional Wernham Hogg Paper Company in Slough. This show arguably made a lot of the main actors/people who worked on the show famous.

David Brent (Ricky Gervais) is the disillusioned General Manager of the branch, and the main character in the show. Although he is generally disliked and viewed as unfunny amongst his employees, he believes he is well liked, and is found hysterical by the employees, even claiming that the staff are "cracking up" at one point, although they are shown to have very neutral facial expressions.

Tim Canterberry (Martin Freeman) is a sales rep in the company. He is generally well liked, although is shown to be very lonely character, fancying someone he can't be with, still living with his mother at 30, and even admitting that he has no friends in one episode.

Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis) is the receptionist and wannabe illustrator. For the majority of the series, she is engaged to a character called Lee, although is clearly unhappy in this relationship. He is often shown to deride Dawn, not supporting her ambitions to become a Children's illustrator, often advising her to give up on this dream. She seems to stay in the relationship through fear of being lonely, with her engagement to Lee having lasted 3 years by the beginning of the show.

Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook) is the Assistant to the Regional Manager. He is shown to be very loyal to David, perhaps the only person in the office who genuinely wants to help him, or even be around him. He is obsessed with the army, having been in the territorial army before. His colleagues also show little respect for him, with Tim and Dawn pranking him on many occasions.

The comedy often comes from the character's awkwardness. I think people can relate to Brent's feelings of being wanted and loved by others, and a lot of people have probably been in awkward situations like the ones involved in the show.

Overall I would highly recommend you watch every episode of this 14 episode, 2 series and 2 part Christmas special show. You won't be disappointed at any point of watching it. Fans of Extras, An Idiot Abroad, Shaun of the Dead and Sherlock will notice some familiar faces.

This film is set in 1959. A new English teacher at an elite prep school inspires his students to "Seize the day". This involves very unusual teaching methods (some of which appear to be frowned upon by his peers), although he appears to improve the lives of his students with these methods. He is able to make his students love poetry, even reviving an old club from Keating's days at Welton so they can discuss poetry and "Woo Women". However, the film also shows that the students take "Seizing the day" a bit too far, being unaware as to knowing "the time for action and the time for caution".

The most powerful scene in this film is probably Neil's death. The use of sound throughout is extraordinary, the reactions to his death are also very emotional, and the idea that Neil has no control over his short-long term future due to his very strict father makes this outcome very believable and more upsetting.

I think a lot of people can relate to many of the teenage characters. I find I can relate to Todd because I also have very low confidence, and have many of the problems involved with him in the film i.e. talking in front of groups of people. Charlie/Nuwanda (the struggle to get the girl), Neil (strict parents/wanting to do what you want but feeling trapped).

I give this film top marks because it truly is one of the best films ever made. It is very inspiring, and I truly do believe that since I watched it for the first time, I have gained confidence in real life.

One of Robin Williams' best films. I also recommend Good Will Hunting if you enjoyed this movie.

In 1985, Doc Brown invents a time machine out of a DeLorean. However, when he is shot down during a test run of the machine, his friend Marty McFly hops in, and finds himself in 1955. He ends up "Saving" his father from a car crash (the action which led his father and mother to fall in love with each other), meaning his and his sibling's existences are now at stake, so he must find a way to get his parents together before he disappears completely.

This film is a comedic Science Fiction film with a great script and story. Great performances by the entire cast, with Huey Lewis and the News' songs "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" also deserving praise.

I recommend you watch this film, as well as it's sequels. These films are frequently shown on ITV 2.

I have been looking forward to this show since I first saw the pilot last year, and this didn't disappoint in it's first proper episode. People who are upset by Merchant's lack of involvement in this project shouldn't feel sad at what Ricky has achieved by himself here.

Derek, much like The Office, seems to be done in a sort of mockumentary style, with several monologues of Derek, Dougie and Hannah being included in the show.

Derek is a middle aged man working in an old people's home. Unfortunately, the home is under review, and faces closure in the first episode. He does all he can to save the home, and appears to be close to everyone who lives/works in the home.

Dougie, played by Karl Pilkington, shows a lot of similarities to his actor. It's almost hard to believe that they are not the same person, as Dougie also has many rants and moans in this as Karl does in An Idiot Abroad. Despite his moaning however, he does seem to care about his colleagues and the old people living in the home.

Hannah is the manager of the care home. She cares about all of the people living in the home, and really doesn't want to get closed down.

The ending of the first episode really makes it's 3 main characters shine. Anyone who thinks this is offensive towards disabled people or anyone else should watch this, as the ending to episode one seems to quash any idea of being offensive. Ricky really isn't making fun of the disabled in this.

Overall, this is a very sweet, heartwarming comedy that you should all go and see.

My Rating: See top of review.

I wasn't looking forward to watching this film, particularly seeing as Vince Vaughn was playing the main character (having seen several of his films, the only good one I can name is Into The Wild). My pre-worries weren't wrong.

Fred Claus is the older brother of Nick Claus, aka Santa. As you could imagine, it isn't very easy to keep up with a high achieving person such as Santa, so rivalry on Fred's part is to be expected, and by the 21st century, hasn't seen Nick or their parents in many years as a result. In this film, Nick tries to bring his brother closer to his family. Unfortunately, the safety inspector, who hates Santa, is attempting to get Santa's workshop out of business, and uses Fred as a reason to get it closed.

Don't let this film fool you, because whilst it may be listed as a comedy, few genuine laughs are had, and nothing more than a slight smile is had at the best of jokes. However, it does get a little better (enjoyment wise, not funnier) as the film draws to a close, but not greatly.

I think it had an interesting story in including a brother for Santa, but the script didn't live up to it. Some jokes needed to be done in a different way/to be reworded in order to get that comedic value that they lacked as they were, although these jokes wouldn't have been hellishly funny either way.

It's disappointing to see how many big names were drawn into this production. You won't consider this to be a best work of the likes of Elizabeth Banks or Kevin Spacey. It's a little hard to believe that a man who had previously won 2 Oscars couldn't land a better film in 2007 than this.

I wouldn't say "Consider" skipping this. I'd say DEFINITELY skip it. You can watch better things than this with 2 hours to spare.

Karl is a man who enjoys the simpler and more familiar things in life. He hasn't done much travelling, and doesn't see the point in it. He often comes off as a very grumpy man, who seems to moan a lot. Because of this, Gervais and Merchant have sent him abroad to experience the things he hasn't done yet, and perhaps has no interest in doing, whilst they stay in England and monitor his progress. However, the trips aren't all they seem, as Gervais and Merchant, presumably doing sinister laughs at the same time, have organised some unfortunate twists to make his stay even more unpleasant.

Personally, I think there are certain things that Karl didn't do (i.e. the Anti-Gravity thing) that make you think "He should have done that", but there are also times (more often than not) when you can sympathise with his avoidance/hesitance to do these things (i.e. skydiving, being buried underground). Even though it might seem a bit harsh on Karl at times when we find out what the co-creators of The Office and Extras have in store for him, it is hilarious to see his reactions.

This show is a treat for everyone. You don't have to like travel documentaries to appreciate and enjoy this show, as Karl will have you laughing for most of this adventure.

Fans of Gervais' laugh will not be disappointed to hear it pop up a few times either.

Two actors who can't find an acting job find themselves living in squaller. One is a drunk (Withnail), presumably drinking to ease the pain, and the other (I) is seemingly an under-confident, paranoid man. They go on holiday to the country (courtesy of Withnail's rich uncle Monty) to take a break from this horrible way of living. When they return to London, "I" has received an acting part, and must move away and leave his friend Withnail in order to take it.

This film is set in 1969, 18 years before it's release, and as a consequence, eagle eyed viewers can expect the usual "that wasn't around at the time" thing which will annoy them, but won't matter to anyone else.

It doesn't have a particularly high budget, as you could probably tell by watching it, but it doesn't really need one. Just as Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian weren't lavished with money, they too are masterpieces of cinema and comedy. These films are prime examples that films that have a £2,000,000 budget can often be more entertaining than those that cost £200,000,000 to make.

This film was a very funny comedy film, probably one of my favourite comedies, with a great cast who many people will probably recognise from their work after this film, very relate-able characters, but just as importantly, a great script. I feel that the ending may make you wonder what happened to the protagonists after going their separate ways, but I personally feel that it ended in a way that makes a sequel very unnecessary. Overall, you won't regret seeing this film.

Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) is a well meaning but forgetful father. This film follows him as he tries to buy his son a toy for Christmas. The problem is, this toy is a very popular toy, so by the time he gets around to shopping for it (Christmas Eve), he finds it extremely difficult to find a store that has any left in stock.

Like me, you may be a fan of the first two Terminator films, The Simpsons and Star Wars. However, don't let the cast fool you. This film certainly isn't either Bill Hartman or Arnold Schwarzenegger's finest hour, but nevertheless, some moments in it are genuinely funny. I found myself watching some scenes, and in my opinion, certain jokes that weren't funny could have been if they were written a bit differently.

The really big let down for this film was the ending, as I feel it sort of began to trail off and took us out of the moment we were in. The way it ends does make you feel like the kid had been a bit ungrateful, as he gives the toy (his father at last having found one) that Howard went through quite a lot to get Jamie to the other father. The other father (played by Sinbad) does also go through quite a lot to not only get the Turbo Man toy, but also to snatch it from Jamie (the son), to the point of also endangering both of their lives.

The film also includes a little extra after the credits, in which Howard's wife wonders what he has gotten her for Christmas, leaving us with an open ending, and a potential for a sequel (although one doesn't seem to have been made).

Overall, I think this was an OK film, but I doubt it will be viewed as a favourite film of all time by anyone, or even best Christmas film ever, particularly if you have seen films such as Elf or It's A Wonderful Life. Don't expect a great film if you decide to watch this.

My Rating: See the top of the review.

I first saw this film in 2004, if I remember correctly, and I still watch it today.

Antz is the story of an ant called "Z" (don't let it's pronouncing as "Zee" put you off), who dreams of a world outside of the dull life of the ant worker in a colony filled with millions of ants. He sets off for a place called "Insectopia", a place in which "You can be your own ant", and "The streets are paved with food", with the colony's Princess. There, this proves to be true. Their fun is slightly short lived, however, when Colonel Cutter finds Princess Bala, and forcibly takes her back to the colony with him. However, the Colony's General, Mandible, is planning to create a stronger colony, by washing away the workers, who he considers to be "Weak". Can Z get back to the Colony in time to save the workers, Princess Bala, and the Queen?

I've only given it 9/10 because I feel that the film was, if anything, too short. I don't think we saw enough of Insectopia in the film's 83 minute length (including the credits), and I think seeing a bit of the colony's past may have been nice, and perhaps a bit of the Princess's life in the palace would have been good. Possibly a few flashbacks to Z's past would have been nice too.

Overall, the film is funny, and I enjoy the sarcastic character of Z, voiced by Woody Allen, a lot. Quite a few quotable lines, as well as a heart warming story that proves that no-one is insignificant. Definitely one of these "Why hasn't this film got a sequel?" films.