Category Archives: preview

Film Preview: “(The Office) David Brent: Life on the Road” (2016) @rickygervais #RickyGervais #LifeOnTheRoad

July 11, 2021news, previewAn Idiot Abroad, Armando Ianucci, Arthur Matthews, Chris Tarrant, David Brent, David Brent: Life on the Road, Del Boy, Derek, Derek Trotter, Extras, Fame, film, film blog, film preview, films, Gervais is a genius, Graham Linehan, jump the shark, Karl Pilkington, Life on the Road, Life on the Road 2016, Life's Too Short, Linehan and Matthews, movie, movie blog, movie preview, movies, Only Fools, Only Fools and Horses, Peter Sellars, preview, Steve Merchant, The Ricky Gervais Show, Warren Davis, Warrick Davisbryanajparry

This preview was originally published in 2014

news of Gervais’ new project has filled me with excitement, and diarrhoea.

I’m a huge Ricky Gervais fan. So I’m always excited when there’s news of an upcoming Gervais project. But the news of Gervais’ latest project has filled me with excitement, and diarrhoea. First, I’ll take you back to 2003:

That’s the end of The Office … [my] sort of legacy … So many people in the past have let me down, I think so many of my favourite comedy sitcoms/writers and actors have gone just one step too far. The quality goes down, you suddenly think, I don’t want to see this again, its repetitive or just poor! They have taken the money and run and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want people to say or think that of me.

Gervais talking there. Therefore, the news that Gervais is making a film of The Office, to be called Life on the Road, seems to be proof that he’s getting desperate and really has jumped the shark (Life’s Too Short, anyone?). This movie actually scares me. Is he going to ruin the perfect legacy of The Office? Has he “taken the money and run”?

Gervais is, all due disrespect to the haters, a genius. Fact. The Office alone proves it. Magnificently written and brilliantly acted, Gervais’ performance as David Brent was flawless: every word, every look, every facial twitch was spot on and every bit the equal of, say, Cleese in Fawlty Towers.

But he’s also lazy. And his recent projects have all been characterised by laziness. Life’s Too Short is a cheap Extras rip off, with Warren Davis doing a pathetic and embarrassing impersonation of David Brent; I can hardly bare to watch it, even alone, eyes closed, drunk. And I love Gervais’ collaborations with Karl Pilkington – The Ricky Gervais Show and An Idiot Abroad – but they are, nonetheless, quite lazy too. The formula: Gervais and Steve Merchant chat and take the piss out of Pilkington. Even Gervais’ stand up, funny as it is, has a certain sloppiness to it: think the “Chris Tarrant” anecdote which was the supposed grand finale to Fame. And let’s not mention his lame attempts at being an interviewer: he was too egotistical to act as foil to his guests. Which brings me on to the next point.

“…the incredible miscasting of Gervais … as a mentally-handicapped man, single-handedly ruined the show”

The one project since Extras which wasn’t lazy, Derek, was self-indulgent. Set within an old people’s home, that show could’ve gone down as one of the most socially relevant, beautiful, brilliant, and important sitcoms ever. But the incredible miscasting of Gervais in the title role, as a mentally handicapped man, single-handedly ruined the show. Gervais just isn’t a good actor. That’s not a criticism, but trite fact. He’s a brilliant writer, stand up, and comic mind. But he hasn’t got the acting chops to portray such a character. And who cast Gervais in that role? Answer: Gervais. What self-indulgence! And self-indulgence and egotism have often attached themselves to Gervais’ projects. If only Ricky Gervais could have gotten over himself.

Therefore, whilst Gervais really is one of my idols (I rank him up there with Sellars, Cleese, Ben Elton, Ianucci, and Linehan and Matthews), I am worried. He can be lazy, he can be self-indulgent. The Office ended so beautifully, so perfectly, the character arcs were so neatly concluded, that an Office movie seems to be asking to fail. It’s like when Only Fools and Horses carried on after Delboy became a millionaire: the character’s journey was already satisfyingly and naturally finished. Continuing it was a bad idea from the get go: and, yes, post-millionaire Only Fools turned out to be an embarrassing, legacy-ruining, let-down.

So Ricky Gervais really is dicing with artistic danger here. There’s no need to bring back The Office. But he is. So he needs to drop his egotism, stop being lazy, and hopefully, he won’t ruin his own legacy. And touch wood, Steve Merchant, who seems to be a marginally moderating influence on Gervais, will be in tow. The only way to do this film is to make something flawless. “Never go back”, they say, “you’re bound to fail”. It’s a law of the universe. I hope The Office movie is the exception to that proven rule.

Watch this space.

References

featured image from http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/10/article-0-0064B02900000258-752_468x312.jpg

Derek image from http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02191/derek_2191238b.jpg

Gervais quote from http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/interviews/ricky-gervais.html?post_id=172921&action=report

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/aug/05/ricky-gervais-david-brent-movie-bbc-the-office

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/08/ricky-gervais-swaps-office-pop-stardom-david-brent-film

How I Became a Star Trek Fan @startrekcbs #startrekdiscovery

July 4, 2021preview, random, TV#StarTrek, DS9, Netflix, Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Starship Enterprise, TNG, TOS, Trekker, Voyagerbryanajparry

In this post, I wanna share how I became a dedicated Star Trek fan.

NOTE: this article originally came out in 2017

Ever since I heard that a new Star Trek series (Star Trek: Discovery) was definitely for real actually happening, to be released this year, I’ve been super hyped and also a bit scared — what if it doesn’t live up to my hopes?

As you can tell, I’m a massive Trekkie… Or Trekker… whatever, I don’t care, but that’s for another post. In this post, I wanna share how I became a dedicated Star Trek fan.

I was born in 1984. When I was a kid, back in the dark days when the UK only had four channels and we heard mythical stories about how in America they had FORTY, the replays of the original Trek were always on the telly at weekends. But I never paid attention. It was just another rubbishy show from the ’60s. It barely registered in my consciousness. I much preferred Land of the Giants(!)

Fast forward to age nine-ish. Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Trek reboot, had been running for several years and still I didn’t notice. And then one day, a season five episode came on: Cause and Effect. It involves the Starship Enterprise being stuck in a timeloop; the same catastrophe-tainted day keeps repeating itself. Think sci-fi horror version of Groundhog Day, or the film Triangle, but in space, and with dodgier make-up and production values. I was sold.

I won’t ruin the episode for you. Check it out on Netflix! But it marks the sort of intelligent, mind-bending stories that were par for the course in Trek. Every time a new mindbender or time-travel flick comes out, like Looper, I love it. But I always refer people to Trek.

If you’re new to Star Trek, here’s a few more episodes you might want to take a look at (all currently available on Netflix):

The Visitor (Deep Space Nine, series 4 episode 2): another great time-travel episode.
Hard Time (Deep Space Nine, series 4 episode 18): the psychology of guilt and suffering.
In The Pale Moonlight (Deep Space Nine, series 6 episode 19): the hardship of keeping your principles in war.
Trials and Tribble-ations (Deep Space Nine, series 5 episode 6): a good example of the lighter-hearted side of Trek, which pays homage to the original series with some neat special effects.

Sadly, no matter how I wax lyrical about the virtues of Trek, nobody’s buying it. The rubber ears, the dodgy acting, the huge number of episodes where, yes, nothing really happens. Sadly, TV has moved on. There is no Trek that fits modern conventions. For example, series are now limited to around ten episodes a season, there are no “one-off” episodes, and it’s all about moving the plot forward. The closest Trek came to this, and arguably it was instrumental in pre-empting the current trend, was the Dominion War story arc from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (my favourite incarnation of Trek, for what it’s worth).

But now with Star Trek: Discovery, I hope a new Trek for a new televisual era will be born, a Trek that captures the imagination of the young as much as the new Star Wars films have, as much as that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation captured mine some twenty plus years ago.

featured image from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QGsuM31IC-Q/hqdefault.jpg

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 7 The Best of the Rest #Spoof

June 20, 2021film review, preview, spoof#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Game of Thrones, George Lucas, GoT, Harry Potter, HBO, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. J. Abrams, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Lord of the Rings, LotR, Michael J. Fox, Peter Jackson, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, Robert Zemeckis, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006, The Phantom Menacebryanajparry

THE BEST OF THE REST

The Fourth Kind (2022… and again in 2026… and again in 2027)

The idea was just too damn cool. Unfortunately, the film wasn’t.

How we tried to like the 2009 original. That owl idea was just too damn cool. Unfortunately, the film wasn’t. By the way, the reboot(s) won’t be, either. Sorry to break it to you.

Final Destination (2022)

Same plot as the original… and the sequel…

Same plot as the original. And the sequel to the original. And the second sequel. And the third. Aaaand the fourth. But with new actors. $100,000,000 box office?

Hitcher (2024)

REBOOT!

The 2007 remake wasn’t that good, so, yeah… REBOOT!

CREDITS:

Cabin Fever: http://www.dreadcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Cabin-Fever.jpg

Fourth Kind: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/emthe-fourth-kindem-revie_b_342812.html

Final Destination: https://wall.alphacoders.com/by_sub_category.php?id=231695

The Hitcher: http://crypticrock.com/this-week-in-horror-movie-history-the-hitcher-1986/

Labyrinth: http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/11/30/disturbingly-tight-pants-family-movie-labyrinth

Harry Potter: http://aretheyoldenough.com/are-they-old-enough/project/harry-potter-philosophers-stone/

LotR: http://www.androidauthority.com/fellowship-google-free-574980/

X Files: http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-x-files/38483/the-x-files-episode-1-spoiler-free-review-my-struggle

Back to the Future: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28374-back-to-the-future-does-physics-of-martys-time-travel-add-up/

Star Wars Episode I: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars-episode-i–the-phantom-menace/review/

Left arrow: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Circle_arrow_left_font_awesome.svg/2000px-Circle_arrow_left_font_awesome.svg.png

Right arrow: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Circle_arrow_right_font_awesome.svg/2000px-Circle_arrow_right_font_awesome.svg.png

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 6 “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (2028) #Spoof

May 30, 2021film review, preview, spoof#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Game of Thrones, George Lucas, GoT, Harry Potter, HBO, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. J. Abrams, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Lord of the Rings, LotR, Michael J. Fox, Peter Jackson, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, Robert Zemeckis, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006, The Phantom Menacebryanajparry

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (2028)

Following George Lucas’ death in 2027, a respectful period of around six weeks is observed…

Following George Lucas’ death in 2027, a respectful period of around six weeks is observed before the announcement of the most keenly craved reboot in cinematic history: Star Wars Episode I. Time to cut that cancerous mass, AKA Episodes I, II, III, out of humanity’s consciousness, burn every copy, and pretend they never existed. And this plan definitely wasn’t in the works for years behind George Lucas’ back…

Directed by J. J. Abrams’ protégé’s protégé’s protégé who was poetically born in 1999, the year Phantom Menace was released.

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 5 “Back to the Future” (20??) #Spoof

February 6, 2021film review, preview, spoof#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Game of Thrones, GoT, Harry Potter, HBO, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Lord of the Rings, LotR, Michael J. Fox, Peter Jackson, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, Robert Zemeckis, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006bryanajparry

~~Back to the Future (20??)~~

How dare they will have going to have rebooted this classic!

Nooooooo. I can’t even bring myself to joke about this. But I just know it’s going to happen! Despite what Robert Zemeckis says, money talks; just ask Judas. How dare they will have going to have rebooted this classic! Sad face. Possibly justified as someone having gone back to the past from the future and changing the timelines in some kind of Star Trek reboot stylee.

No. Seriously. This will happen.

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 4 “The X-Files” (2025) #Spoof

January 20, 2021film review, preview, spoof, TV#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Game of Thrones, GoT, Harry Potter, HBO, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Lord of the Rings, LotR, Peter Jackson, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006bryanajparry

The X-Files: the Amazon Prime Series (2025)

African American LGBT activist, Divinity Scully, and zany new-age Jew, Davina Duchovny

Once the new X-Files series (starting 2016) got cancelled after two seasons, it was only a matter of time before a reimaginized reboot would happen. Relive the story anew of the odd couple that was African American logical smart-thinking LGBT activist, Divinity Scully, and white middle-class zany new-age Jew, Davina Duchovny, as they investigate the paranormal — all at the tax-payers’ expense.

Note: this article was originally written in 2016, and the prediction about only two seasons of the new X-Files has actually come true!

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 3 “Lord of the Rings: The Series” (2022) #Spoof

December 17, 2020film review, preview, spoof, TV#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Game of Thrones, GoT, Harry Potter, HBO, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Lord of the Rings, LotR, Peter Jackson, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006bryanajparry

The Lord of the Rings: the HBO series (2022)

Starring Sean Bean — who dies again.

After scrabbling around for something, anything to replicate the success of Game of Thrones (finished 2018), HBO finally hits upon the idea of a Lord of the Rings series(!) It’s time to go back down the Hobbit hole, but this time using all the appendices and flabby bits that Walsh, Boyens, and Jackson wisely left out of the film, in an all new, ten-episodes-a-series, eight-series epic. Starring Sean Bean — who dies again.

Note: this article was originally written in 2016, and this prediction has actually come true (kinda)!

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 2 “Harry Potter” (2022) #Spoof

December 9, 2020film review, preview, spoof, TV#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Harry Potter, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, J. K. Rowling, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, Pottermania, reboot, remake, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977, The Hills Have Eyes 2006bryanajparry

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Part I (2022)

eked out with additional … source materials

For a new generation of kids and fans, J. K. Rowling’s world now eked out with additional previously undiscovered source materials, this will spark a new frenzy of pottermania. Each of the first six books will receive a two part film makeover each, with the final getting a trilogy — or a two-part trilogy, depending on the box office takings.

Upcoming Movie and TV Reboots: 1 “Labyrinth” (2021) #Spoof

October 24, 2020film review, preview, spoof, TV#MovieReviewsBlog, #spoof, @MovieReviewsBlo, Back to the Future, Cabin Fever, Cabin Fever 2002, Cabin Fever 2016, David Bowie, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2007, Death at a Funeral 2010, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2005, Fantastic Four 2015, Hulk, Hulk 2003, Hulk 2008, Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth, Labyrinth 1986, Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes 1968, Planet of the Apes 2001, Planet of the Apes 2011, reboot, remake, spoof, superman, Superman 1976, Superman 2006, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 1977bryanajparry

will sh*t all over your childhood memories.

Labyrinth (2021)

Spurred on by the popstar’s recent demise, this is a hastily cobbled together “tribute” to the classic David Bowie flick. With none of the charm and wonder of the original, this film will shit all over your childhood memories. Possibly starring a female as David Bowie, and ever-young Elijah Wood (now 40 years old) playing 16 year old Sam (formerly Sarah, portrayed by Jennifer Connelly).

The next part will be released over the weekend

Star Trek: Discovery #StarTrekDiscovery @StarTrekNetflix #StarTrekDay @startrekcbs

September 26, 2017preview, TVAlex Kurtzman, Anthony Rapp, Archer, Ash Tyler, Brett Anderson, Bryan Fuller, CBS, CBS All Access, Chris Obi, Danby Connor, Doug Jones, DS9, Ellen Landry, Enterprise, Gabriel Lorca, Gene Roddenberry, Harry Mudd, Hugh Culber, James Frain, Janeway, Jason Isaacs, Jeff Russo, Kenneth Mitchell, Kirk, Klingon, Kol, L'Rell, live long and prosper, Mary Chieffo, Mary Wiseman, Maulik Pancholy, Michael Burnham, Michelle Yeoh, Nambue, Netflix, Paul Stamets, Philippa Georgiou, Picard, Rainn Wilson, Rekha Sharma, Sam Vartholomeos, Sarek, Saru, Shazad Latif, Sisko, Sonequa Martin-Green, Spock, Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Starship Enterprise, STD, Sylvia Tilly, T'Kuvma, Terry Serpico, The Next Generation, TNG, TOS, Voyager, Wilson Cruzbryanajparry

that was in 2005; I had barely lost my virginity … whereas now I am a married man with thick tufts of chest hair that drip with testosterone

I’m a big Star Trek fan. “Bitterly disappointed” by the way Star Trek: Enterprise was given short shrift in marketing and timeslots, and then summarily cancelled after four seasons, is an understatement of how I felt. And that was in 2005; I had barely lost my virginity back then, whereas now I am a married man with thick tufts of chest hair that drip with testosterone. Yes, twelve long years I’d been in purgatory waiting for even a sign of a new Star Trek series — until last year, when the announcement was made. But I couldn’t get my hopes up as it wouldn’t be the first big project to get canned. Yet here it is, at last. Star Trek: Discovery aired last night on Netflix. I can’t wait to watch episodes one and two tonight (right after I finish grooming my manly facial hair). But I’m nervous — will it be a Game of Thrones (=perfection), or a Stargate Universe (=all gear, no idea)?

A new Trek series was sorely needed to fill a particular gap. Not only is it a massive franchise with a hardcore fanbase, but the success of the recent films means there might be a new non-Trek audience primed and ready — although, in all fairness, the enthusiasm for the new films has kind of fizzled out now. But whatever.

The other reason why a new series is needed is that all previous Treks existed in the years BBG. That is, Before Battlestar: Galactica. That show was epoch defining and heralded the dawn of a new era (the 2004-2009 version, not the campy 70s thing). It moved us into a brave new world. Yes, yes, yes, it had all the secks, violence, and swearing (if “frack” counts) that now typify shows like Game of Thrones. But it was the format that set it apart. Gone were the 20+ episodes a season, countless dud eps which basically filled space, and the one-off episodes that didn’t advance the central plot of the series — if there even was a central plot. We were into a new world where quality triumphed over quantity; ten episodes of pure, relentless, story. One story arc for the whole show.

All previous Treks existed in this BBG world. This is outmoded and isn’t how TV works anymore. To make it worse, back then, the budgets were also poor, lending a kind of crummy homemade look to much Sci-Fi; I remember even as a twelve year old cringing at how the solid metal armour of the Jaffa in Stargate: SG1 would betray it’s Styrofoam prop nature and literally bend in a fight. Also, the quality of the acting has gone up: just try to remember TV before the Kiefer Sutherland thrillride 24; big film stars just did not do TV, it was a step down. How times change!

Visually, Star Trek: Discovery looks phenomenal. But we’ll just have to see if it is a matter of style over substance. As a Trek disciple, I hope to goodness the show is great and gets a good long run. Otherwise, by the time they come up with a new Star Trek series, I’ll probably have regrown my virginity, for I’ll be a shrivelled, middle-aged man.

featured image from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/ST_DSC.svg

Bryan's Magic Lantern Filmhouse

Mostly pithy film/series reviews of Netflix and Amazon Prime