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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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 Posted - 12/08/2006 : 09:34:34
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
What would be a worse answer would be "Benny Hill" or "Mr. Bean".
If you ask me... "Blackadder", "Coupling", "Green Wing".
(Monty Python isn't typical, but they were funny.)
Agreed on all counts. I forgot about the top two being well known internationally. Mr. Bean was a very minor thing here - Blackadder is countless times better. |
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Downtown 
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 12/08/2006 : 14:00:23
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quote:
Originally posted by shoon
Two words for this film; fuck yes.
Craig was far better than I expected. Loved it.
Y'know, you've got two more words to work with if you want 'em. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 12/08/2006 : 14:13:40
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I would never be so cruel as to hold up AYBS as a "typical British sitcom." That wouldn't be fair. I'm not sure who it is at PBS that has a fetish for that show but someone's gotta knock some sense into them.
Rather than focus on examples, I'll go for a definition. John Cleese was on The Daily Show a while back, and I think he gave the perfect explanation of the basic difference between American and British humor:
American humor is all about the dialogue, especially one-liners. Scenes are set up so that the discussion always leads to a punchline or "zinger." The plot itself is usually unimportant.
British humor is about ridiculous situations, the more outrageous the better. Plot is everything, because the absurd situation has to be set up, like some unexpected crisis that must be dealt with. Typically, it's "an idiot plot," where all the problems would be solved if everyone would simply stop being an idiot...but then it wouldn't be funny. I said I wouldn't focus on examples, but I think a good one would be virtually any episode of Fawlty Towers, like when Cleese is trying to feed some new guests without letting on that the cook is passed out drunk. |
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 12/08/2006 : 17:44:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
British humor is about ridiculous situations, the more outrageous the better.
So, would "A Fish Called Wanda" be British Humor? (sorry, humour)
Sometimes I think I was born on the wrong side of the pond. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 12/08/2006 : 18:25:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
American humor is all about the dialogue, especially one-liners. Scenes are set up so that the discussion always leads to a punchline or "zinger." The plot itself is usually unimportant.
British humor is about ridiculous situations, the more outrageous the better. Plot is everything, because the absurd situation has to be set up, like some unexpected crisis that must be dealt with. Typically, it's "an idiot plot," where all the problems would be solved if everyone would simply stop being an idiot...but then it wouldn't be funny. I said I wouldn't focus on examples, but I think a good one would be virtually any episode of Fawlty Towers, like when Cleese is trying to feed some new guests without letting on that the cook is passed out drunk.
Yes, I think all that's fair. However, I still think that The Office is very British. It seems very situational to me. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 12/08/2006 : 19:22:25
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| I've only seen a handful of episodes so I may have just gotten the wrong impression. |
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Conan The Westy
"Father, Faithful Friend, Fwiffer"
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Posted - 12/09/2006 : 06:27:49
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Just picked up Blackadder Series 2 & 3 on DVD. I'm really enjoying Hugh Laurie as the "thick as a whale omelette" Prince Regent. It was the first role I ever saw him in and I love to see the difference between George 4 & House (except both have an IV).
Back on subject... saw Bond last night and loved it. Dark and gritty; the torture scene brought tears to my eyes. The plot, while updated, still stayed true to many of Fleming's original plot twists so don't read the book before seeing the movie if you want to avoid major spoilers.
I don't think I'll be in a hurry to introduce my kids to this flick. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 12/09/2006 : 23:04:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Conan The Camper
I don't think I'll be in a hurry to introduce my kids to this flick.
Yeah, what rating is it there? As I mentioned above, it is a 12A here, which means that 12-year-olds can see it alone and an adult can take any age child to it. Since some parents are morons, I don't even really agree with this certificate exisiting, but I am still very surprised that this film could have been given it. |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 12/09/2006 23:04:31 |
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Conan The Westy
"Father, Faithful Friend, Fwiffer"
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 10:06:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
Yeah, what rating is it there?
M rated which is probably appropriate for a Bond film.
quote:
As I mentioned above, it is a 12A here, which means that 12-year-olds can see it alone and an adult can take any age child to it. Since some parents are morons, I don't even really agree with this certificate exisiting, but I am still very surprised that this film could have been given it.
Same deal here. Our MA rating means the viewer needs to be 15+ to get in. With the content in this movie it could have qualified for MA. |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 13:03:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I'd never thought of it as American-style at all. The moments of awkward silence fit very much into British comedy.
I haven't seen loads of episodes of the American one, but David Brent definitely has a lot of depth. Throughout all the awful cases of his attempts to be politically correct/funny/popular, there is real pathos and vulnerability to him. Thus when in the end he finds love, the audience is happy for him. If he just had his awful side, that would not work at all. As for making a situation worse and worse, that is his central theme. I haven't seen that particular American scene, but I am virtually certain that he would have fitted very well into such a scenario.
As an unabashed fan of the British OFFICE, I believe I have the cred to tell you that the American version found its voice during the latter part of its first season, and it's now rolling full steam ahead. The Brent character had the advantage of plot closure, which made for some satisfying moments that an open-ended series cannot supply [I wanted to cheer when Brent finally, blessedly, told Finchy to fuck off!]. But the humor is quite similar, the romantic subplot is now even more complicated and ditzy since the two offices have been combined [vide the British series], and there is plenty of pathos in Brent's "Michael Brown" incarnation too.
Also remember that the British creators are very hands-on with this version; Gervais and Merchant even personally wrote last week's episode, in which Michael [Carrell] discovers that one of the workers from the newly combined office served time in prison. It was for a white-collar crime, and was served in a country-club prison that from the description sounds even better than their office environment to most of Michael's workers -- so he decides to hold a "Scared Straight" session in the conference room. American humor, written by Brits -- or is it perhaps simply universal to anyone who has ever been caught in a cubicle?
As for the embarrassed silences, I find Gervais/Merchant's follow-up series, EXTRAS, even more cringeworthy. |
Edited by - randall on 12/10/2006 13:06:09 |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 13:26:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Randall
As for the embarrassed silences, I find Gervais/Merchant's follow-up series, EXTRAS, even more cringeworthy.
I watched two episodes of that and couldn't watch it any more. Almost as bad as poor Lisa Kudrow's terribly poor try at her own, solo sit-com "The Comeback".
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 14:10:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Randall
Also remember that the British creators are very hands-on with this version; Gervais and Merchant even personally wrote last week's episode, in which Michael [Carrell] discovers that one of the workers from the newly combined office served time in prison.
I'm surprised by this- Gervais expressly said that he and Merchant didn't want to be involved in the American version (aside from taking the money) and left them to take it their own way, so both of them coming back on board to write another episode seems like a bizarre twist.
I wish I knew where Gervais finds the time, between writing, acting, producing and directing the second series of Extras, writing another book, writing and performing another hour long stand-up show this year and still doing the podcasts...  |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 14:20:54
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
quote:
Originally posted by Randall
As for the embarrassed silences, I find Gervais/Merchant's follow-up series, EXTRAS, even more cringeworthy.
I watched two episodes of that and couldn't watch it any more. Almost as bad as poor Lisa Kudrow's terribly poor try at her own, solo sit-com "The Comeback".
I guess you either like that kind of comedy or you don't. I know my woman can't watch The Office or Alan Partridge and I have a mate who could barely stand to watch Borat for a similar reason.
Extras is a weird one, it seems to be Ricky Gervais taking himself more into serious drama (which he's since stated is what he wants to write in the future). Certainly, the first episode of the second series had quite a heartbreakingly poignant ending.
Whilst it did have it's awkward moments, I don't think Extras ever reached the cringy highs of The Office. As funny as she is, Maggie doesn't seem quite as bad as David Brent at opening her mouth at the wrong moment. Somehow, stupidly carrying on with an ill-thought out comment doesn't (to me, at least) seem as horrifying (and funny) as someone trying to dig their way out of something they said only to mess it up even more. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 12/11/2006 : 09:27:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Randall
I wanted to cheer when Brent finally, blessedly, told Finchy to fuck off!
Yeah, that is a great moment, to the extent that I actually had it also in mind too when I mentioned our being on Brent's side. |
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Chris C
"Four words, never backwards."
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Posted - 12/13/2006 : 18:31:04
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Gently dragging this back to topic, I've been avoiding this thread until seeing the film, which I did yesterday afternoon. Apologies if I cover any old ground - I'll read the entire thread later, but I just wanted to leave a few comments of my own.
As a fan of James Bond (books and films)I thought it was the best Bond movie for a very very long time, and it now ranks in my top 3 or 4 of all the Bond films. A Bond movie this good has been a long time coming.
Daniel Craig makes a good James Bond, more in the mould of Connery than any of the others, and more true to the "Book" Bond than most. He's tough, smart, not overly suave (unlike Brosnan & Moore), good looking (so says Mrs C  ), and well acted. He also gets hurt and spills blood.
It's a very low-tech film compared to most of the recent movies. The gadgets are believable (remember the invisible Aston Martin?) the cars, stunts and fights all work, and the loss of John Cleese as Q is a big bonus.
I'm pleased that the producers/scriptwriters have tried to reproduce the original book as much as possible and drag it into the 21st century. Probably 80-90% of the book has been used somewhere and it's a fine adaptation. The only "steal" from elsewhere is the "bad death" at the beginning, which has origins in the "Diamonds Are Forever" "Goldfinger" book.
I think that this Bond is one that Ian Fleming would have recognised, and would have been proud of.
I'm now off to read everybody elses comments. |
Edited by - Chris C on 12/14/2006 21:12:04 |
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Casino Royale
