owlinabowl Reviews

Generation Kill (2008)

G I Regular Joe

[10/10 · 7 October 2009]

After serving several grueling weeks aboard a 'tip of the spear' US Marine humvee in the war in Iraq, Rolling Stone Journalist Evan Wright sat down to write what he felt was the most truthful account of what he had seen. Several years later, creators of 'The Wire', David Simon and Ed Burns, the latter a former Vietnam veteran and policeman, decided that the material was ripe for transition to the small screen.

And here it is, in all its foul-mouthed, thuggish, empathetic, stupid, brave, helpless, hapless, steel-eyed, hilarious, heart-breaking and possibly life-changing glory. There are few concessions to either side in this debate. You will gasp in horror as our protagonists accidentally bomb villages and mistakenly decapitate civilians with smoke grenades, and then baulk in disgust as the incompetent leadership and bureaucracy skewers them mercilessly and traps them into a situation that becomes both unbelievable and yet painfully memorable for anyone who watched the news in 2003/4.

The marines are by and large both fired to the teeth with testosterone and harrowingly exposed to horrors that they accept and deplore as the nature of their profession. Painfully aware that they have been trained to be both ruthless and crushing, and yet when the pull comes, coaxed into becoming light-handed and fair human men; a duality emerges that coaxes some staggering performances from all involved. Most visibly perhaps, the praise swings towards James Ransone and Billy Lush. Both of whom start off with little sympathy and become beautifully flawed and realized by the end. Yet highly notable are turns by Chance Kelly, Jonah Lotan and the appropriately named Stark Sands, to name just the tip of the iceberg.

A sumptuous visual feast caught in glorious gritty-vision, Generation Kill may not be a massive stretch plot-wise or even philosophically; given that it's essentially still portraying the young men affected by war mantra that's been a screen staple for decades, but after viewing the entire series only the most naive soul could deny that this is the type of series that television was born to make.

Smokin' Aces (2006)

So Anti-Climatic It's Almost a Dent

[3/10 · 17 January 2007]

Rarely do I feel the desire to speak out and comment on the IMDb as more often than never I feel that the scores and opinions posted by its members are often perfectly in sync with that of my own. However having just seen this turgid marathon of faux-melodrama and tattered plot ribbons I feel compelled to speak my peace. You know the plot: Mob rat needs 'whacking', colourful cast intercedes and fireworks ensue, or at least as much is promised on the outset. The reality is charmless, devoid of any wit or grace and so frustratingly, relentlessly dull that just writing this makes me angry that I didn't walk out before the credits and get a refund on my over-priced ticket. The jaw-clencher is that the set-up is so irresistibly full of promise that it's almost as though two vaguely related films have been tacked together using a child's stitch work. The first hour is jammed full of stylish camera work and set-design with several scenes so hilariously over-the-top that it compensates mildly for the stilted dialogue and irritating characters. Scenes that were promised and focused plot-wise in the trailer. However, further into the film the suspense builds to such a level via the complete lack of action that as the plot slowly plods away from its forgone conclusion you want to scream and bite the furniture. The conclusion is so convoluted and stilted with banal, trite plot-twists that eventually it's a mercy blow when the lights come up. Bizarrely, the only participant who walks away with any real credibility is Ryan Renolds, who is utterly convincing in his role towards the end. And yet the fact that his role even exists is irksome due to its necessity in reaching the insipid final scene. This film really isn't worth your time and especially not your money. Regardless of which you value more, avoid like a chainsaw-wielding skinhead, please.

The Mighty Boosh (2003–2007)

Hugely Indulgent and Often Awry

[4/10 · 15 January 2007]

In recent years, Channel 4 and the BBC have been engaged in a highly resourceful and relentless comedy sparring match to see who can produce the most eye-catching and consistently funny programs on terrestrial TV. The Beeb has always been confident as it has classic comedy staples such as Have I Got News... and ...Buzzcocks to fall back on. Channel 4 made the opening bid with the superbly funny and very stylish Teachers and Spaced. The BBC then scored massively with Little Britain and The Office and looked set to dominate, yet C4 retaliated with a litany of short-lifespan masterpieces such as Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Spoons and The IT Crowd (all of which are sorely missed) as well as their larger budget gamble: The superb Green Wing, which preceded to sweep the BAFTAs as well as the nation off its feet.

So, the balls in the Beebs court, so to speak. What do they do? They pinch two of Channel 4 more low-key stars, Julian Barrat and Noel fielding - both staples of one of C4s more impenetrable misfires, the relentlessly uncompromising yet often morbidly hilarious Nathan Barley - and commission them to go free reign on a sitcom than happily allows them to indulge in their 'wildest fantasies'.

At times bizarre, absurdist and often deliberately sloppy and poorly directed\edited, 'The Mighty Boosh' is a intriguing concept. It takes two clearly intelligent and well-educated comedians and attempts to streamline the surreal trivialities of a far-reaching sketch show and condense them into a sitcom. Yet despite the colour and visual flair and enthusiasm its a proposition that just doesn't quite work due to its own sanitised notion of self-disposition.

Essentially, 'The Mighty Boosh' is so ruthlessly determined to be weird and surreal that it comes across as contrived and formulaic owing to its inability to be self-critical. And yet this lack of discipline (particulary in the set-design, layout and presentation of the show) never feels like its adding to the comedy in a particularly relevant way given that the concept of the program doesn't necessitate it. Unlike the aforementioned '...Darkplace', which depended on it and was subsequently brilliant.

Hugely smug and, especially in the second season, very pleased with itself owing to its roller-coaster success. 'The Mighty Boosh' is a textbook example of comedy faltering owing to its need to focus on its target, yet that target by default being unfocused due to its unstable basis. A similar problem was seen in 'Big Train' (which was nonetheless slightly easier to digest thanks to its sketch show format) and can be found in American programs such as 'Robot Chicken' and the later episodes of 'Family Guy'. If you want a example of where a surreal sitcom really works, check out Dylan Moran's hugely entertaining 'Black Books'. In the meantime, give 'The Mighty Boosh' a look-in but don't be surprised if you come out feeling bored and over-stretched.

Shisha no sho (2005)

A Labour of Spiritual, Artistiscally Sprawling, Yet Somewhat Underfunded Love

[21 July 2006]

Sometimes its quite astounding as to how far the lengths of which a person will go to finish what they started.

Its this tearful perseverance and blind drive that both makes this films materialistically and snaps it in two in reality.

Filmed almost entirely (aside from the credits) in stop-motion it's the sprawling story of three souls' platonic turbulence in period era Japan and the relentlessness with which they decide to pursue their means to an end.

Ever so slightly dubious in the fabric of its subject matter - One of the plot lines concerns a man wishing to court his brothers daughter - its execution is flawless. There is almost no inconsistency regarding the sound and characters and the voice acting is exemplary.

Yet unfortunately there is no true resolution in any area of the story. I want to believe that perhaps this was a matter of scheduling or deadline yet the films residue seems to indicate that perhaps it was budget difficulty through which this particular stumbling block arose.

So lavish is its content, particularly the drawing scene at the end. And yet so unfamiliar is its length - its just under a hour and a quarter - for a short film that is wasn't really too surprising that it would grind to a halt like it did. This is a shame.

The people behind this clearly have a huge amount left in them.

Family Guy (1999– )

Never Before Have I Witnessed Such Polarization Among Men

[13 May 2006]

It's incredibly difficult to truly know where to begin with 'Family Guy'. It has been criticised and applauded in equal measure since its conception and neither side truly wants to (or will ever) back down. Its detractors call it shallow, uncouth, repetitive and plagiarists, whilst its legions of devoted followers see it as a truly unique and brilliant product of out time.

To be perfectly honest I'm gonna sit on the fence for this one. I hugely enjoyed it when I saw the first season and was able to appreciate the fact, that whilst hugely derivative of other shows it openly recognised this and took pleasure in lampooning its own shortcomings.

However, aside from its cult devotees that will take pleasure in the show regardless of the directions that it takes; few can deny that the quality of the more recent crop of episodes has dropped in standard. Seemingly desperate to maintain the juggernaut momentum that it gathered through its first opening runs and the gargantuan DVD sales that it accumualated thereafter, it has appeared to have taken its own formula and mercilessly flogged it for absolutely everything that its worth.

Popular culture references, slapstick, wordplay, surreal flashbacks and an almost endless string of parodies, puns, puerile sex gags, situational oddities and 'South Park'-style political satire. All have been crammed, squeezed and mashed together seemingly at random into exhaustingly short episodic spans of times. This would be great if they were building on a rock solid base of core material, but unfortunately they seemed to have sidelined the character building exercises and true narrative structure of the first couple of seasons for an almost breathless onslaught of punchlines and out-of-nowhere jokes that appear and disappear just as quickly.

The primary result of all this is a rather empty feeling of dissatisfaction. You want to feel like you're laughing but its unclear what you're laughing at due to the vaporious nature of the 10-joke-a-second material.

Don't get me wrong - There is undoubted genius here. It just feels so insubstantial given that there's no real structure or cohesive method of storytelling that I found it somewhat dull and lifeless after a few episodes. Seth McFarlane and his writing team clearly have an undisputed knack for bang-on-the-money, bizarre humour but it would appear to me that in their desperation to keep with their obvious peers - 'South Park' and 'The Simpsons' - they've gone and given us too much of a good thing. Maybe this is their intention and they're making a statement regarding the huge flow of available information in this day and age. Maybe not, either way its never too late to reclaim back lost ground (Unless you get cancelled again in which case, tough tits).

P.S. One major trend I've noticed throughout this body of reviews in particular is that a large proportion of those with a 'pro' agenda haven't taken the time to correct their typo's. Spell proficiently if you want people to take you seriously! Cheers for the hating ;-)