I'm not much of a film fan although I loved the old St Trinians, Carry Ons and even Ealing comedies. It's not because I'm old - they just all worked so much better.

I have seen Shaun of the Dead which was good but was a bit overlong.

It's just that British comedy has changed. Not necessarily for the better although Benidorm, Gavin & Stacey and Visiting Time (???) are good in places but there is just something lacking. If I could my finger on it I'd be a succesful writer.
 

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Playwrite extraordinaire.

http://www.eols.org.uk/
 

Wow. I largely agree with David!
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

I find British comedy movies simply embarrassing. SotD and HF were good; Magicians was rubbish.

And then Russell Brand gets onto our screeens! How? Why?!
 

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http://www.thinkhappy.org
 

Quote: Leevil @ May 9 2008, 1:33 PM BST

I'm not saying they should replicate American films and turn the colour setting up to full and make everything look like a cartoon. But British films, even comedies always look bleak and depressing. It's like they use some sort of filter on the lens.

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yea what's up with that? Even when I'm watching BBC news the camera always looks cloudy or the picture just looks slightly washed out? Weeeeeeeird. It must be a conspiracy of some sort by the graphic designers in your country. Too cheap to use full colour spreads so they demand everyone use washed out colours.
 

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-Cuuurt


 

I remember people pouring scorn on Gervais for his anti-British Film Industry remarks, but they make a lot more sense in context of the Crook film (stuff like 'The Calcium Kid' also springs to mind). The Wright-Pegg partnership is a rare exception, I wish I could say why.

Although having said that the American film industry isn't much better, STILL after 5 years churning out barrel-scraping shitty summer sequels and YET more fucking superhero films, either that or studio films marketed as indie films. The 90's were a bloody good decade for films, in retrospect.
 

Quote: Curt @ May 10 2008, 12:12 AM BST

yea what's up with that? Even when I'm watching BBC news the camera always looks cloudy or the picture just looks slightly washed out? Weeeeeeeird. It must be a conspiracy of some sort by the graphic designers in your country. Too cheap to use full colour spreads so they demand everyone use washed out colours.

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That's because people in your country are too lazy and/or stupid to convert between the different TV systems. If we just took one of your shows and transmitted it straight, without any treatment, everyone would resemble Oompa Loompas in skin colour:


 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=A5m_nL8jas4 < Three and Out Trailer

I knew nothing about this film apart from Mackenzie Crook's ugly face (which I was treated to on every bus stop and double decker I passed on the bike ride to school) and this thread intrigued me to take a look at the trailer - it's pretty thin grounds to base your feature-length comedy film on, I can tell you that.
 

Quote: Retinend @ May 10 2008, 12:47 AM BST

it's pretty thin grounds to base your feature-length comedy film on, I can tell you that.

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You say that like it's a new development within the film world?
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

Quote: Aaron @ May 10 2008, 12:37 AM BST

That's because people in your country are too lazy and/or stupid to convert between the different TV systems. If we just took one of your shows and transmitted it straight, without any treatment, everyone would resemble Oompa Loompas in skin colour:

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What are you talking about Aaron? Why not use the best when you got it? NTSC, SECAM, PAL it all sucks in comparison to digital television. If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen...or keep fiddling with your crappy picture or even better keep whining about why no one outside Britain is watching Britcom.
Woh....that was pretty nasty...sorry man some douche bag outside my window woke me up by honking his horn for a minute straight then yelled at me for telling him "hey retard how about you stop honking that fucking horn". Woh...I really don't handle confrontation well.
 

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-Cuuurt


 

Quote: Leevil @ May 9 2008, 1:33 PM BST

Being slightly snobbish about my own country, but I always think Britcoms have a very bleak stylised look to them (probably reflecting the damp and drizzle of ole Blighty) but whatever it is, it puts me off.

I'm not saying they should replicate American films and turn the colour setting up to full and make everything look like a cartoon. But British films, even comedies always look bleak and depressing. It's like they use some sort of filter on the lens.

Now funny is funny, whether or not the colour is high or not but the general point I'm trying to get across is British films, especially the independent ones just have a grainy horrible look.

I'm waffling, didn't even read the article but I'm in the mood to talk bollocks so I'll continue... yeah, so British films...

I like Shaun of the Dead, mainly because I love the cast and would instantly like it anyway based just on that. But I thought it was a good film because it knew what it was and wasn't afraid to push itself and it just went out to be a 'cool, fun film'.

Other recent efforts in the past 10 years or so try too hard, either by being pushed by the American studios or doing the opposite and trying to hard to be exclusively "British" with their Apples and Pears and no American leads (which is a good thing I suppose) but yeah, most films reek of too much effort in the wrong direction.

A lot of them are just weak ideas, again trying to hard with a stupid plot. "He's the best lawn-mower in the land but can he get the girl?"
Yeah "lol" he's a crappy lawn-mower for crappy England, whereas Hollywood has Bruce Willis as a astronaut. Yeah England is crap and small, very hilarious. *shakes head*

Also, why are all characters in Britflicks 'pricks'? Except for the Hugh Grants who embody the whole prick thing in a totally different way. But this always bothers me, Shaun of the Dead always bothers me, because in Spaced Mike is great lovable little crazy man but in Shaun of the Dead he acts like a right cunt, maybe that's more like Nick? I dunno but I didn't like it and I'm sure the same 'prickiness' appears in many other movies, which makes it very hard to sympathise with the characters, along with the bleak grainy film look and the weak plot line, it leaves me thinking very turned off from home grown movies.

Ramble over.

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This is exactly how I feel about the situation as well. There seems to be a rule, that all British films have to have really dull storylines, e.g. that film that was out recently, starring that fat Iranian comedian, about people on an allotment; or that Hugh Grant film about the people in some village, trying to get a local hill recognised as a mountain, by making it a few feet taller; or that film starring Pete Posselthwaite, as a bloke who painted Pylons; or the one about all those middle-aged women, getting their tits out, to pose for a calendar.
 

Quote: Griff @ May 9 2008, 1:08 PM BST

Discuss.

(All I have to say on this subject is that I thought Magicians was much better than Hot Fuzz, which probably puts me in a minority of one.)

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My problem with Magicians was that there was plenty of Mitchell and plenty of Webb, but not much Mitchell and Webb. Does that make any sense? Hope so.
 

Quote: Curt @ May 10 2008, 1:04 AM BST

What are you talking about Aaron? Why not use the best when you got it? NTSC, SECAM, PAL it all sucks in comparison to digital television. If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen...or keep fiddling with your crappy picture or even better keep whining about why no one outside Britain is watching Britcom.
Woh....that was pretty nasty...sorry man some douche bag outside my window woke me up by honking his horn for a minute straight then yelled at me for telling him "hey retard how about you stop honking that fucking horn". Woh...I really don't handle confrontation well.

View original

LOL. Best rethink those teacher plans then, eh?

Anyway, digital TV still needs a format to broadcast in!
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

Quote: dingo @ May 10 2008, 4:26 AM BST

My problem with Magicians was that there was plenty of Mitchell and plenty of Webb, but not much Mitchell and Webb. Does that make any sense? Hope so.

View original

It does!
 

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Quipped Leevil.
 

Thanks Leevil, I almost confused myself.
 

Sooo I'm guessing that Magicians isn't worth watching then.
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)