Before the dawn of the Millennium, the prospect of a live-action Spider-Man meant Nicholas Hammond doing things slowly with a lot of string. The short-lived 1970s Spider-Man TV show perfectly illustrated that non-animated Spidey antics weren’t really achievable, although several – from James Cameron to Albert Pyun – tried to get projects spinning. But then came the arrival of CGI, and anything was possible…
Since Sam Raimi first swung Tobey Maguire into cinemas in 2002 there have been ten Spidey movies, three more Peter Parkers, and a Miles Morales, across four discrete franchises recently connected by Marvel’s multiverse shenanigans. If that sounds complicated, allow us to guide you through the Spider-Verse with our ranking of every big-screen Spider-Man outing.
10) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Mark Webb’s second Amazing Spider-Man had the opportunity to fix the problems of its predecessor, but sadly ended up more of the same. As previously, the...
Since Sam Raimi first swung Tobey Maguire into cinemas in 2002 there have been ten Spidey movies, three more Peter Parkers, and a Miles Morales, across four discrete franchises recently connected by Marvel’s multiverse shenanigans. If that sounds complicated, allow us to guide you through the Spider-Verse with our ranking of every big-screen Spider-Man outing.
10) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Mark Webb’s second Amazing Spider-Man had the opportunity to fix the problems of its predecessor, but sadly ended up more of the same. As previously, the...
- 6/12/2023
- by Ben Travis, Owen Williams
- Empire - Movies
If, like me, you grew up in the UK in the 1980s you couldn’t Not be a fan of Kenny Everett – his brand of humour was a staple of must-see television; everyone at my school would – for example – recite his sketches and jokes the day after they aired on TV. His catchphrases became the countries catchphrases… He was a comedy legend to an entire generation. Yet, for how much I loved Kenny Everett I never saw his first series for Thames TV – I grew up watching his BBC series that followed the four-series show known as The Kenny Everett Video Show.
Debuting on ITV in 1978, The Kenny Everett Video Show was a hedonistic mix of sketches, musical interludes and performances with Kenny’s characters including Sid Snot, Cupid Stunt and Captain Kremmen all featuring alongside huge music star guests and performances from David Bowie, Bonnie Tyler, The Boomtown Rats,...
Debuting on ITV in 1978, The Kenny Everett Video Show was a hedonistic mix of sketches, musical interludes and performances with Kenny’s characters including Sid Snot, Cupid Stunt and Captain Kremmen all featuring alongside huge music star guests and performances from David Bowie, Bonnie Tyler, The Boomtown Rats,...
- 11/19/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Image Source: Getty / Steve Jennings / Anwar Hussein
For many fans, Queen's operatic rock music is an escape - a passport to a world with zero judgment and catchy chants. For Princess Diana, it was a literal escape - one that included drag, reruns of Golden Girls, and 20 minutes at a gay bar.
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury became close friends with the "People's Princess" in the mid-'80s when Diana's every move was heavily monitored by the media. According to a memoir by actress Cleo Rocos, she, Mercury, and the princess were sipping Champagne and watching reruns of Golden Girls at the home of comedian Kenny Everett one evening, creating their own subplots for the sitcom, albeit with a "much a naughtier storyline." When Diana found out Everett, Mercury, and Rocos were headed to the infamous gay bar Royal Vauxhall Tavern later that night, Diana asked if she could tag along.
For many fans, Queen's operatic rock music is an escape - a passport to a world with zero judgment and catchy chants. For Princess Diana, it was a literal escape - one that included drag, reruns of Golden Girls, and 20 minutes at a gay bar.
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury became close friends with the "People's Princess" in the mid-'80s when Diana's every move was heavily monitored by the media. According to a memoir by actress Cleo Rocos, she, Mercury, and the princess were sipping Champagne and watching reruns of Golden Girls at the home of comedian Kenny Everett one evening, creating their own subplots for the sitcom, albeit with a "much a naughtier storyline." When Diana found out Everett, Mercury, and Rocos were headed to the infamous gay bar Royal Vauxhall Tavern later that night, Diana asked if she could tag along.
- 11/8/2018
- by Natalie Rivera
- Popsugar.com
Bryan Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” takes on the ride of legendary British rock band Queen, as well as the life of frontman Freddie Mercury. In the film, Queen’s record label at one time resisted releasing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” perhaps one of the band’s most famous songs, as a single — but did that really happen?
In the movie, band members Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) walk into Emi Records to play their single “Bohemian Rhapsody” of their new album, “A Night at the Opera.”
However, Emi executive Ray Foster, refuses to release the song as the band’s next single following “Killer Queen,” mainly because he didn’t understand the song and also thought a six-minute tune would never play on the radio.
After a heated discussion in the film, the band storms out of the meeting with...
In the movie, band members Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) walk into Emi Records to play their single “Bohemian Rhapsody” of their new album, “A Night at the Opera.”
However, Emi executive Ray Foster, refuses to release the song as the band’s next single following “Killer Queen,” mainly because he didn’t understand the song and also thought a six-minute tune would never play on the radio.
After a heated discussion in the film, the band storms out of the meeting with...
- 11/5/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Louisa Mellor Jan 9, 2018
Inside No. 9 continues on excellent form with this bittersweet play about a lost showbusiness friendship. Spoilers ahead…
This review contains spoilers.
See related Geeks Vs Loneliness: belonging Geeks Vs Loneliness: being lonely on purpose Geeks Vs Loneliness: don't give up Geeks Vs Loneliness: disabilities that you can’t see Geeks Vs Loneliness: how to ask for help Geeks Vs Loneliness: hiding in plain sight Geeks Vs Loneliness: keeping yourself going
4.2 Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room
In 2006, comedy double act Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball gave an interview to The Independent reminiscing about their stage and TV career. In their 1980s heyday, the pair had a serious falling-out, something “every double act goes through,” said Ball, “it’s like a marriage”. The piece concluded with Ball’s bittersweet line, “We've become really like brothers now. It's sad to say, but I'll bury him or he'll bury me.”
It probably wasn’t—Inside No.
Inside No. 9 continues on excellent form with this bittersweet play about a lost showbusiness friendship. Spoilers ahead…
This review contains spoilers.
See related Geeks Vs Loneliness: belonging Geeks Vs Loneliness: being lonely on purpose Geeks Vs Loneliness: don't give up Geeks Vs Loneliness: disabilities that you can’t see Geeks Vs Loneliness: how to ask for help Geeks Vs Loneliness: hiding in plain sight Geeks Vs Loneliness: keeping yourself going
4.2 Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room
In 2006, comedy double act Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball gave an interview to The Independent reminiscing about their stage and TV career. In their 1980s heyday, the pair had a serious falling-out, something “every double act goes through,” said Ball, “it’s like a marriage”. The piece concluded with Ball’s bittersweet line, “We've become really like brothers now. It's sad to say, but I'll bury him or he'll bury me.”
It probably wasn’t—Inside No.
- 1/8/2018
- Den of Geek
Paul Childs Aug 18, 2017
We take another look back at the public information films put out by the Central Office Of Information...
I’m sat writing this on the balcony of my apartment overlooking the majestic Salford Quays. It’s a lovely afternoon and the sun is beating down as families, all dressed in their finest summer attire, chomp on ice-cream while enjoying a relaxing canal side stroll.
See related Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 5 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 4 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7: episode 3 questions answered
Down on the other side of the canal basin is a group of boys, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old (plus a few much younger ones), dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. They’re goading each other on to leap from the bridge into the dark waters below. One by one they take the plunge, all the while laughing and whooping.
We take another look back at the public information films put out by the Central Office Of Information...
I’m sat writing this on the balcony of my apartment overlooking the majestic Salford Quays. It’s a lovely afternoon and the sun is beating down as families, all dressed in their finest summer attire, chomp on ice-cream while enjoying a relaxing canal side stroll.
See related Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 5 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 4 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7: episode 3 questions answered
Down on the other side of the canal basin is a group of boys, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old (plus a few much younger ones), dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. They’re goading each other on to leap from the bridge into the dark waters below. One by one they take the plunge, all the while laughing and whooping.
- 8/15/2017
- Den of Geek
Jenny Morrill Dec 20, 2016
Russ Abbot, Bullseye, Noel Edmonds and a film we all watched in the same room. Christmas TV was more exciting in the 80s...
Cast your mind back to when Christmas Day wasn't about Doctor Who followed by sticking something on Netflix until it was time to go watch the annual fist fight outside the pub.
See related Looking back at Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy The Wolf Of Wall Street review The Wolf Of Wall Street & Scorsese's confrontational films
In the 80s, Christmas was about seeing which fantastic fare the TV had decided to bless us with. Of course, the more prepared among us knew this well in advance, having eagerly pored over the Radio Times/TV Times to check that Jimmy Cricket's Family Laugh 'n' Waz would be shown. There it was – right after Reflections On The Eucharist With The Reverend Paul Leyland.
Russ Abbot, Bullseye, Noel Edmonds and a film we all watched in the same room. Christmas TV was more exciting in the 80s...
Cast your mind back to when Christmas Day wasn't about Doctor Who followed by sticking something on Netflix until it was time to go watch the annual fist fight outside the pub.
See related Looking back at Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy The Wolf Of Wall Street review The Wolf Of Wall Street & Scorsese's confrontational films
In the 80s, Christmas was about seeing which fantastic fare the TV had decided to bless us with. Of course, the more prepared among us knew this well in advance, having eagerly pored over the Radio Times/TV Times to check that Jimmy Cricket's Family Laugh 'n' Waz would be shown. There it was – right after Reflections On The Eucharist With The Reverend Paul Leyland.
- 12/8/2016
- Den of Geek
We asked Den Of Geek’s writers to recommend brilliant comedy shows that deserve to have more of a fuss made about them. Here they are...
Banging a drum about stuff we love is more or less our remit on Den Of Geek - hence what many readers have started referring to as the ‘inexplicably regular' appearance of Statham, squirrels and Harold Bishop from Neighbours on these pages.
To that end then, we asked our writers which comedy shows (past and present, UK or otherwise, on TV, radio, or online…) deserved more praise, and here are the ones they chose. You might already like them too, or you might discover something new to dig out and enjoy. That’s the fun of it.
Please note that this list isn’t ranked in any order, nor is it exhaustive. It’s compiled from the opinions of a group of different people,...
Banging a drum about stuff we love is more or less our remit on Den Of Geek - hence what many readers have started referring to as the ‘inexplicably regular' appearance of Statham, squirrels and Harold Bishop from Neighbours on these pages.
To that end then, we asked our writers which comedy shows (past and present, UK or otherwise, on TV, radio, or online…) deserved more praise, and here are the ones they chose. You might already like them too, or you might discover something new to dig out and enjoy. That’s the fun of it.
Please note that this list isn’t ranked in any order, nor is it exhaustive. It’s compiled from the opinions of a group of different people,...
- 11/13/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Billy Connolly presents the final part of his moving, yet still hilarious, ITV documentary series Big Send Off tonight (May 14).
The Big Yin is best known for his prolific stand-up comedy career over the past six decades, but he has often shown off many different strings to his bow, taking in the world of TV, film, music and charity work.
To mark Connolly's latest excellent project, Digital Spy takes a look at just some of his best moments outside his stand-up work.
1. The Humblebums
Before Billy started his stand-up career, he sang with the late Gerry Rafferty of 'Baker Street' fame in the folk group The Humblebums, along with Tam Harvey. Largely forgotten outside the folk world, they did produce some genuinely brilliant tracks, both moving and funny. Their gigs often featured Connolly chatting to the audience between songs, eventually leading to him giving the comedy thing a go full-time.
The Big Yin is best known for his prolific stand-up comedy career over the past six decades, but he has often shown off many different strings to his bow, taking in the world of TV, film, music and charity work.
To mark Connolly's latest excellent project, Digital Spy takes a look at just some of his best moments outside his stand-up work.
1. The Humblebums
Before Billy started his stand-up career, he sang with the late Gerry Rafferty of 'Baker Street' fame in the folk group The Humblebums, along with Tam Harvey. Largely forgotten outside the folk world, they did produce some genuinely brilliant tracks, both moving and funny. Their gigs often featured Connolly chatting to the audience between songs, eventually leading to him giving the comedy thing a go full-time.
- 5/14/2014
- Digital Spy
Feature Alex Westthorp 16 Apr 2014 - 07:00
Alex's trek through the film roles of actors who've played the Doctor reaches Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy...
Read the previous part in this series, Doctor Who: the film careers of Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker, here.
In March 1981, as he made his Doctor Who debut, Peter Davison was already one the best known faces on British television. Not only was he the star of both a BBC and an ITV sitcom - Sink Or Swim and Holding The Fort - but as the young and slightly reckless Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, about the often humorous cases of Yorkshire vet James Herriot and his colleagues, he had cemented his stardom. The part led, indirectly, to his casting as the venerable Time Lord.
The recently installed Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, had been the Production Unit Manager on...
Alex's trek through the film roles of actors who've played the Doctor reaches Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy...
Read the previous part in this series, Doctor Who: the film careers of Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker, here.
In March 1981, as he made his Doctor Who debut, Peter Davison was already one the best known faces on British television. Not only was he the star of both a BBC and an ITV sitcom - Sink Or Swim and Holding The Fort - but as the young and slightly reckless Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, about the often humorous cases of Yorkshire vet James Herriot and his colleagues, he had cemented his stardom. The part led, indirectly, to his casting as the venerable Time Lord.
The recently installed Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, had been the Production Unit Manager on...
- 4/15/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
As the undisputed king of American gothic, Vincent Price holds a unique position regarding his association with British horror. From the mid sixties, nearly all his films were made in the UK, and while not as distinguished as The House of Usher (1960), Tales of Terror (1962) and The Raven (1963), they are not without interest. As an actor perfectly suited to English gothic, Price’s output includes two career-defining performances. In a nutshell, he had the best of both worlds.
Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The British phase of his career began with a bang. After directing all of Price’s Poe chillers for American International Pictures, Roger Corman wanted to give the formula a fresh approach by making his next film in England. Aip’s Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson had already produced several European films, so the next step was to establish a London base with Louis M Heyward in charge.
Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The British phase of his career began with a bang. After directing all of Price’s Poe chillers for American International Pictures, Roger Corman wanted to give the formula a fresh approach by making his next film in England. Aip’s Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson had already produced several European films, so the next step was to establish a London base with Louis M Heyward in charge.
- 4/11/2014
- Shadowlocked
My father, Richard Taylor, who has died aged 84, was one of the founders of the postwar UK animation industry. In the 1970s he made the children's series Crystal Tipps and Alistair, but he was best known for his series of public information films including Charley Says, featuring a nameless boy and his much wiser cat Charley, voiced by Kenny Everett. Charley would explain to us how dangerous matches and strangers could be. The films were all made directly under an animation rostrum camera using a cut-out technique. In the 1980s he made Muzzy in Gondoland, a language-teaching video which is still in use today.
The son of Horace Taylor, the noted poster designer of the 1920s, Pa was born in Hampstead Garden Suburb and went to University College school in London. While studying Classics at Oxford University he met Jean, whom he married in 1953. After graduating, he joined the animation studio Larkins,...
The son of Horace Taylor, the noted poster designer of the 1920s, Pa was born in Hampstead Garden Suburb and went to University College school in London. While studying Classics at Oxford University he met Jean, whom he married in 1953. After graduating, he joined the animation studio Larkins,...
- 12/13/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter biopic is last BBC4 film as homegrown drama axed as part of £700m BBC cuts
The TV biopic starring Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor will be a bittersweet affair for BBC4.
Burton and Taylor, which will air on the channel on Monday will be the last of BBC4's homegrown dramas, as it absorbs its share of the £700m of cuts being made across the corporation.
The digital channel, which celebrated its 10th birthday last year, has won a string of awards and some of its biggest audiences for biopics about Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Kenny Everett, Fanny Craddock and Enid Blyton (coincidentally also played by Bonham Carter).
Burton and Taylor is likely to be no exception with West and Bonham Carter – in particular – impeccable portraying the 20th century's most famous celebrity couple during their ill-fated 1983 revival...
The TV biopic starring Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor will be a bittersweet affair for BBC4.
Burton and Taylor, which will air on the channel on Monday will be the last of BBC4's homegrown dramas, as it absorbs its share of the £700m of cuts being made across the corporation.
The digital channel, which celebrated its 10th birthday last year, has won a string of awards and some of its biggest audiences for biopics about Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Kenny Everett, Fanny Craddock and Enid Blyton (coincidentally also played by Bonham Carter).
Burton and Taylor is likely to be no exception with West and Bonham Carter – in particular – impeccable portraying the 20th century's most famous celebrity couple during their ill-fated 1983 revival...
- 7/21/2013
- by John Plunkett
- The Guardian - Film News
The Girls creator hits back at a porn parody of her comedy show, Doug Stanhope wades into the Oklahoma God debate, and Dutch TV is slammed for satirising the Woolwich murder
This week's comedy news
In a week when Jerry Lewis told the world that female comedy "bothers [him]", two tales of fightback – of a sort. Girls creator Lena Dunham has criticised news of a pornographic parody movie of her hit HBO comedy. "Most TV shows have been turned into gross and weird porn parodies," the Splitsider website tells us, but Dunham isn't prepared to shrug this one off. "Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while [the XXX film's producer] Hustler is a company that markets and monetises a male's idea of female sexuality," wrote Dunham. And also, "a big reason I engage in (simulated) on-screen sex [in Girls] is to counteract a skewed idea of that act created by the proliferation of porn."
Meanwhile,...
This week's comedy news
In a week when Jerry Lewis told the world that female comedy "bothers [him]", two tales of fightback – of a sort. Girls creator Lena Dunham has criticised news of a pornographic parody movie of her hit HBO comedy. "Most TV shows have been turned into gross and weird porn parodies," the Splitsider website tells us, but Dunham isn't prepared to shrug this one off. "Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while [the XXX film's producer] Hustler is a company that markets and monetises a male's idea of female sexuality," wrote Dunham. And also, "a big reason I engage in (simulated) on-screen sex [in Girls] is to counteract a skewed idea of that act created by the proliferation of porn."
Meanwhile,...
- 5/28/2013
- by Brian Logan
- The Guardian - Film News
When we celebrated David Bowie's 65th birthday last year, we never would have dreamt of what would happen 12 months on. Back from the (as good as) dead, Db returned with The Next Day and we're only just getting over the shock.
To celebrate his unexpected comeback, BBC Two presents a brand-new documentary about our greatest popstar, and having had a sneak preview, Digital Spy gives you five compelling reasons to watch Five Years.
> Ten Things About... David Bowie
1. Golden Years
The structure of Five Years makes it a lot more interesting than your usual pop doc. Rather than try (and fail) to talk about 50 years of pop superstardom in two hours, the film gives us five year-long snapshots. Year One: 1971-1972 (Hunky Dory to ...Ziggy Stardust), Year Two: 1974-1975 (Young Americans to Station to Station), Year Three: 1976-1977 (Low to "Heroes"), Year Four: 1979-1980 (Scary Monsters... And Super...
To celebrate his unexpected comeback, BBC Two presents a brand-new documentary about our greatest popstar, and having had a sneak preview, Digital Spy gives you five compelling reasons to watch Five Years.
> Ten Things About... David Bowie
1. Golden Years
The structure of Five Years makes it a lot more interesting than your usual pop doc. Rather than try (and fail) to talk about 50 years of pop superstardom in two hours, the film gives us five year-long snapshots. Year One: 1971-1972 (Hunky Dory to ...Ziggy Stardust), Year Two: 1974-1975 (Young Americans to Station to Station), Year Three: 1976-1977 (Low to "Heroes"), Year Four: 1979-1980 (Scary Monsters... And Super...
- 5/24/2013
- Digital Spy
Though Princess Diana's life has been picked apart endlessly since her death in 1997, new details about her personal life were just revealed in Cleo Rocos' memoir.
According to the British actress, the Princess of Wales, Freddie Mercury (of the band Queen), and her co-star Kenny Everett were hanging out and decided to go to the gay nightclub Vauxhall Tavern.
With the unmistakable royal insisting to tag along for "one drink," the group put their heads together to disguise Lady Di. According to the book, "She tried on the outfit Kenny had intended to wear: a camouflage army jacket, hair tucked up into a leather cap and dark aviator sunglasses. Scrutinizing her in the half light, we decided that the most famous icon of the modern world might just -- just -- pass for a rather eccentrically dressed gay male model.”
As for the clubgoers reactions, Cleo says, "When...
According to the British actress, the Princess of Wales, Freddie Mercury (of the band Queen), and her co-star Kenny Everett were hanging out and decided to go to the gay nightclub Vauxhall Tavern.
With the unmistakable royal insisting to tag along for "one drink," the group put their heads together to disguise Lady Di. According to the book, "She tried on the outfit Kenny had intended to wear: a camouflage army jacket, hair tucked up into a leather cap and dark aviator sunglasses. Scrutinizing her in the half light, we decided that the most famous icon of the modern world might just -- just -- pass for a rather eccentrically dressed gay male model.”
As for the clubgoers reactions, Cleo says, "When...
- 4/3/2013
- GossipCenter
Princess Diana . . . as a Drag King! The late, beloved British royal reportedly had a wild night out in the late 80s in which famous friend Freddie Mercury helped her go incognito at a London gay bar -- by disguising William and Harry's mum as a man. In her new memoir The Power of Positive Drinking, British TV actress Cleo Rocos writes that she, the late Queen frontman and comedian Kenny Everett prepped Diana's disguise, dressing her in an army jacket, cap and sunglasses. Arriving [...]...
- 4/2/2013
- by Justin Ravitz
- Us Weekly
Sounds like Lady Diana Spencer wasn't always the buttoned-up princess the world knew her as. Not only did she go on a (rather tame-looking) ski holiday -- a man! a book! booze! -- but now it turns out British singer Freddie Mercury once took her to a gay bar. In drag.
Wait, what?
That's what a new book is claiming. According to British TV personality Cleo Rocos (via the New York Daily News), "The Power of Positive Drinking" has within its pages an anecdote about when the Queen frontman took the people's princess to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a popular gay club in the 1980s.
According to Rocos, himself, Mercury and friend Kenny Everett smuggled the princess into the club in disguise -- she was wearing a bulky army jacket with dark sunglasses and a cap.
"We felt she was so obviously Princess Diana, she would be discovered at any...
Wait, what?
That's what a new book is claiming. According to British TV personality Cleo Rocos (via the New York Daily News), "The Power of Positive Drinking" has within its pages an anecdote about when the Queen frontman took the people's princess to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a popular gay club in the 1980s.
According to Rocos, himself, Mercury and friend Kenny Everett smuggled the princess into the club in disguise -- she was wearing a bulky army jacket with dark sunglasses and a cap.
"We felt she was so obviously Princess Diana, she would be discovered at any...
- 4/2/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Princess Diana continues to fascinate. A surprising, if hard-to-prove, tale about the late royal's life is now coming to light. According to a new book, the late princess once dressed up as a man and sneaked into a gay bar in London with Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, British deejay Kenny Everett and actress Cleo Rocos. Rocos reveals the supposed incident in her new book, The Power of Positive Drinking, claiming that the royal was unrecognizable in a large jacket and Aviator shades while at London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern. According to Rocos' tale, the incident took shape after Diana had spent the afternoon drinking champagne with the trio, which led to the...
- 4/1/2013
- E! Online
Freddie Mercury once dressed Princess Diana as a man and smuggled her into a gay bar, it has been claimed. The late Queen rocker and comedian Kenny Everett reportedly gave the British royal - who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 - an army jacket, cap and sunglasses to wear for a night out in South London homosexual haunt the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in the 1980s, according to comedienne Cleo Rocos. A piece in Cleo's new memoir 'The Power of Positive Drinking' - which is serialised in the Sunday Times newspaper - explains: ''Freddie told her we were...
- 4/1/2013
- Virgin Media - Celebrity
Freddie Mercury once dressed Princess Diana as a man and smuggled her into a gay bar, it has been claimed. The late Queen rocker and comedian Kenny Everett reportedly gave the British royal - who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 - an army jacket, cap and sunglasses to wear for a night out in South London homosexual haunt the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in the 1980s, according to comedienne Cleo Rocos. A piece in Cleo's new memoir 'The Power of Positive Drinking' - which is serialised in the Sunday Times newspaper - explains: 'Freddie told her we were going to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a notorious gay bar in London. Diana said she had never heard...
- 4/1/2013
- Monsters and Critics
For a welcome piece of retro-gossip, The Telegraph notes that comedian Cleo Rocos's new book, The Power of Positive Drinking, contains the claim that she, fellow comedian Kenny Everett, and Freddie Mercury once dressed Princess Diana up as a man (the costume supposedly included an army jacket, cap, and sunglasses) and brought her to a south London gay bar for the night. "We felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute," writes Rocos. "But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared." While Rocos maintains that Diana's disguise was a convincing one, she added that Mercury's presence was enough to distract the club's patrons from looking too hard at anyone else.
- 3/31/2013
- by Delia Paunescu
- Vulture
According to a new book, Queen Legend Freddie Mercury snuck Princess Diana into a notorious gay bar in the late 1980s -- and the beloved royal went unnoticed.
In "The Power of Positive Drinking," comedian Cleo Rocos writes about how she, TV star Kenny Everett and Mercury disguised Princess Diana as a male model so that she could sneak into the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south London. Dressed in an army jacket, black cap and sunglasses, Diana enjoyed a night out on the town, free of attention.
"When we walked in ... we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute. But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it," Rocos says, adding that the venue was packed, but the presence of Mercury, Everett and herself helped divert attention from Diana so that she could order drinks at the bar.
In "The Power of Positive Drinking," comedian Cleo Rocos writes about how she, TV star Kenny Everett and Mercury disguised Princess Diana as a male model so that she could sneak into the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south London. Dressed in an army jacket, black cap and sunglasses, Diana enjoyed a night out on the town, free of attention.
"When we walked in ... we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute. But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it," Rocos says, adding that the venue was packed, but the presence of Mercury, Everett and herself helped divert attention from Diana so that she could order drinks at the bar.
- 3/31/2013
- by Leigh Blickley
- Huffington Post
Digital Spy presents a list of nominees for the BAFTA TV Craft Awards 2013, to be hosted by Stephen Mangan from The Brewery in London on Sunday, April 28, 2012:
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
John Dower - Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow
Ben Anthony...
Breakthrough Talent
Mike Bartlett - The Town
Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives
Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)
Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story
Costume Design
Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs
Sheena Napier - Parade's End
Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street
Digital Creativity
Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics
Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic
Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City
Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal
Director (Factual)
Katharine English - Our War
Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
John Dower - Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow
Ben Anthony...
- 3/25/2013
- Digital Spy
BBC Two‘s five-part period drama Parade’s End leads the nominees for BAFTA‘s television craft awards with five. The adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s novels started airing on HBO on February 26, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Anne-Marie Duff, Rupert Everett and Miranda Richardson. It took mentions for production design and Tom Stoppard’s writing, among others. Also figuring heavily among the nominees are BBC Two and HBO’s Hitchcock drama The Girl, BBC One and BBC America‘s Ripper Street and BBC Two and BBC America’s cancelled The Hour. Other shows known to U.S. audiences, Doctor Who, Call The Midwife, Downton Abbey, Top Gear and The Thick Of It also scored nods. Olympics programming, inlcuding Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony and Stephen Daldry’s closing ceremony are nommed as is the fictional comedy series about the Games, Twenty Twelve. Awards will be handed out on April 28 in London.
- 3/25/2013
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
Actor best known as the haughty department store supervisor Captain Peacock in the TV comedy Are You Being Served?
The actor Frank Thornton, who has died aged 92, had a flair for comedy derived from the subtle craftsmanship of classical stage work. However, he will be best remembered for his longstanding characters in two popular BBC television comedy series – the sniffily priggish Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and the pompous retired policeman Herbert "Truly" Truelove, in Roy Clarke's Last of the Summer Wine.
Robertson Hare, the great Whitehall farceur, told him: "You'll never do any good until you're 40." And, said Thornton, "he was quite right." In the event, he was 51 when David Croft, producer of another long-running British staple, Dad's Army, remembered the tall, long-faced actor from another engagement and decided to cast him as the dapper floor-walker in charge of shop assistants played by Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard,...
The actor Frank Thornton, who has died aged 92, had a flair for comedy derived from the subtle craftsmanship of classical stage work. However, he will be best remembered for his longstanding characters in two popular BBC television comedy series – the sniffily priggish Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and the pompous retired policeman Herbert "Truly" Truelove, in Roy Clarke's Last of the Summer Wine.
Robertson Hare, the great Whitehall farceur, told him: "You'll never do any good until you're 40." And, said Thornton, "he was quite right." In the event, he was 51 when David Croft, producer of another long-running British staple, Dad's Army, remembered the tall, long-faced actor from another engagement and decided to cast him as the dapper floor-walker in charge of shop assistants played by Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard,...
- 3/19/2013
- by Carole Woddis
- The Guardian - Film News
She's Anna, she's Katy, and together they are Anna and Katy!
A couple of years after their well-received Comedy Lab, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have finally got their own full-length sketch show, which starts this Wednesday on Channel 4.
As big fans of sketch, Digital Spy were very excited to sit down with the duo to quiz them about comedy, controversy, and sharing an award nomination with Rylan Clark. Here's what they had to say.
When did you decide to start doing sketch together?
Anna: "We met doing stand-up in 2003 and we weren't very good at it! Either of us. We both thought each other were funny."
Katy: "Dreadful... I hadn't really seen any comedy, that was my problem."
Anna: "I certainly wasn't ready to do an hour of stand-up at Edinburgh the following year. So I said to old Wixy, 'Let's get together and do some sketches'. And the rest is herstory.
A couple of years after their well-received Comedy Lab, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have finally got their own full-length sketch show, which starts this Wednesday on Channel 4.
As big fans of sketch, Digital Spy were very excited to sit down with the duo to quiz them about comedy, controversy, and sharing an award nomination with Rylan Clark. Here's what they had to say.
When did you decide to start doing sketch together?
Anna: "We met doing stand-up in 2003 and we weren't very good at it! Either of us. We both thought each other were funny."
Katy: "Dreadful... I hadn't really seen any comedy, that was my problem."
Anna: "I certainly wasn't ready to do an hour of stand-up at Edinburgh the following year. So I said to old Wixy, 'Let's get together and do some sketches'. And the rest is herstory.
- 3/4/2013
- Digital Spy
Parade's End is the leading nominee for the 2013 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.
The BBC One period drama - based on the novels by Ford Madox Ford - is nominated five times, with stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam going head-to-head in the same category.
Both Cumberbatch and Allam are actually given the nod for more than one show, bringing their respective performances in Sherlock and The Thick of It into contention.
Elsewhere, The Hour receives three nominations for stars Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw and Anna Chancellor, while Twenty Twelve, Doctor Who and The Great British Bake Off also feature in a list which is heavily dominated by BBC output.
ITV's Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, the documentary which first revealed the extent of the TV presenter's sexual abuse and has prompted a number of reports, inquires and a major police investigation, is nominated for 'Best Single Documentary'.
[Left: Clare Balding / Right: Adam Hills]
Clare Balding...
The BBC One period drama - based on the novels by Ford Madox Ford - is nominated five times, with stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam going head-to-head in the same category.
Both Cumberbatch and Allam are actually given the nod for more than one show, bringing their respective performances in Sherlock and The Thick of It into contention.
Elsewhere, The Hour receives three nominations for stars Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw and Anna Chancellor, while Twenty Twelve, Doctor Who and The Great British Bake Off also feature in a list which is heavily dominated by BBC output.
ITV's Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, the documentary which first revealed the extent of the TV presenter's sexual abuse and has prompted a number of reports, inquires and a major police investigation, is nominated for 'Best Single Documentary'.
[Left: Clare Balding / Right: Adam Hills]
Clare Balding...
- 2/7/2013
- Digital Spy
There was more to Kenny Everett than his sexuality, but we didn't see it
Throughout his radio and TV career, Kenny Everett always gave the impression he was acting the part of Kenny Everett. The feature length, 90-minute biopic, Best Possible Taste – The Kenny Everett Story (BBC4), suggested he was also giving a performance in his private life, as he struggled to accept what to everyone who knew him – not least his wife, Lee – was blindingly obvious; that he was gay.
Only his close friends will know just how true this was. Tim Whitnall's script certainly never felt awkward, but viewing Everett's entire life and career almost exclusively through the prism of his sexuality began to feel limiting after an hour, as I felt that other interesting aspects of his character had gone awol. Everett was clearly a troubled, self-destructive personality regardless of his sexuality. Plenty of other entertainers...
Throughout his radio and TV career, Kenny Everett always gave the impression he was acting the part of Kenny Everett. The feature length, 90-minute biopic, Best Possible Taste – The Kenny Everett Story (BBC4), suggested he was also giving a performance in his private life, as he struggled to accept what to everyone who knew him – not least his wife, Lee – was blindingly obvious; that he was gay.
Only his close friends will know just how true this was. Tim Whitnall's script certainly never felt awkward, but viewing Everett's entire life and career almost exclusively through the prism of his sexuality began to feel limiting after an hour, as I felt that other interesting aspects of his character had gone awol. Everett was clearly a troubled, self-destructive personality regardless of his sexuality. Plenty of other entertainers...
- 10/3/2012
- by John Crace
- The Guardian - Film News
Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story has been given an official airdate. The one-off biopic of the late broadcaster and comedian Kenny Everett will air on Wednesday, October 3 at 9pm on BBC Four. Oliver Lansley and ex-Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly play Everett and his wife Lee Middleton in the 90-minute drama. Tim Whitnall's drama follows the "unconventional love story" of DJ Everett and his (more)...
- 9/19/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
Was he trying out his greenscreen acting? Or channeling his seminal work with silent buddy Clyde? Either way, Clint Eastwood's Republican convention speech is unlikely to have Hollywood cheering
The MTV movie awards have a prize for the Best Wtf Moment; the most bizarre, baffling gobsmacking event. The 2012 winner, and it really is a slam-dunk, is Clint Eastwood, that Hollywood icon, for his frankly bizarre turn at the Republican convention. Halfway into a reasonably genial and sane speech, handing out some regulation whacks at the Democratic incumbent, Clint turned to an empty chair positioned beside him, told us that Mr Obama was sitting in it, and then proceeded to ask him questions and respond to his (imaginary) replies: "Whaddaya mean 'shut up'?" Clint rasped. And then: "I can't do that to myself."
It wasn't exactly the classiest piece of work. In fact, it made Kenny Everett's "Let's bomb Russia!
The MTV movie awards have a prize for the Best Wtf Moment; the most bizarre, baffling gobsmacking event. The 2012 winner, and it really is a slam-dunk, is Clint Eastwood, that Hollywood icon, for his frankly bizarre turn at the Republican convention. Halfway into a reasonably genial and sane speech, handing out some regulation whacks at the Democratic incumbent, Clint turned to an empty chair positioned beside him, told us that Mr Obama was sitting in it, and then proceeded to ask him questions and respond to his (imaginary) replies: "Whaddaya mean 'shut up'?" Clint rasped. And then: "I can't do that to myself."
It wasn't exactly the classiest piece of work. In fact, it made Kenny Everett's "Let's bomb Russia!
- 8/31/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
David Cameron has 'a hilarious sense of humour', according to Helena Bonham Carter. Perhaps so, but who were the really funny rightwingers?
Are Tories funny? Of course, with the exception of Jim Davidson. Expressing amazement that they might be funny is like saying that because someone has different political views from us they can't have a sense of humour. Yet this appears to be exactly what Helena Bonham Carter did in an interview at the weekend, when she insisted her friend David Cameron was "not a rightwing person", citing his "hilarious sense of humour, which nobody really knows about".
Bernard Manning was funny. And racist and misogynistic too, but the jokes were good even if the laughter died on your lips. Peter Cook spent much of his life savaging Labour politicians, but there's no doubt that he was funny. You might recall the Tory rally in 1983 when Kenny Everett spoke for Margaret Thatcher.
Are Tories funny? Of course, with the exception of Jim Davidson. Expressing amazement that they might be funny is like saying that because someone has different political views from us they can't have a sense of humour. Yet this appears to be exactly what Helena Bonham Carter did in an interview at the weekend, when she insisted her friend David Cameron was "not a rightwing person", citing his "hilarious sense of humour, which nobody really knows about".
Bernard Manning was funny. And racist and misogynistic too, but the jokes were good even if the laughter died on your lips. Peter Cook spent much of his life savaging Labour politicians, but there's no doubt that he was funny. You might recall the Tory rally in 1983 when Kenny Everett spoke for Margaret Thatcher.
- 4/23/2012
- by Simon Hoggart
- The Guardian - Film News
David Tennant
Grey Feeney
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BBC Four have cast David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Janet Montgomery (Merlin) in the Ian Le Frenais’ and Dick Clement’s adaptation of Alan Furst’s novel The Spies of Warsaw. The thriller is set in Warsaw, Berlin, London and Paris in the years before World War II. Tennant plays French World War I veteran Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant) who has an illicit affair with Parisian diplomat Anna (Montgomery) while the continent edges ever closer to war.
The Spies of Warsaw will take the form of two 90-minute long episodes and filming will commence in Poland during May. Joining Tennant and Montgomery in the cast are Ludger Pistor (Casino Royale), Anton Lesser (Little Dorrit) and Linda Bassett (The Hours). News of the big budget drama comes just a day after...
Grey Feeney
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
BBC Four have cast David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Janet Montgomery (Merlin) in the Ian Le Frenais’ and Dick Clement’s adaptation of Alan Furst’s novel The Spies of Warsaw. The thriller is set in Warsaw, Berlin, London and Paris in the years before World War II. Tennant plays French World War I veteran Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant) who has an illicit affair with Parisian diplomat Anna (Montgomery) while the continent edges ever closer to war.
The Spies of Warsaw will take the form of two 90-minute long episodes and filming will commence in Poland during May. Joining Tennant and Montgomery in the cast are Ludger Pistor (Casino Royale), Anton Lesser (Little Dorrit) and Linda Bassett (The Hours). News of the big budget drama comes just a day after...
- 4/5/2012
- by admin
The Best Possible Taste
Kieran Kinsella
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One of British TV’s most loved comics is set to be resurrected in BBC Four’s one-off drama The Best Possible Taste. Tim Whitnall’s script focuses on the professional and personal life of the late Kenny Everett during the early 80s in Thatcher’s Britain. TV newcomer Oliver Lansley plays the funny man while Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly plays his wife Lee Middleton. Filming is underway and the show is set to air late in 2012 or early 2013. Fans of Everett will be pleased to know that many of his favorite characters will be featured in the show.
Related Articles:
Inside Men and White Heat on BBC America
Great Expectations v River Monsters
Mr Selfridges...
Kieran Kinsella
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
One of British TV’s most loved comics is set to be resurrected in BBC Four’s one-off drama The Best Possible Taste. Tim Whitnall’s script focuses on the professional and personal life of the late Kenny Everett during the early 80s in Thatcher’s Britain. TV newcomer Oliver Lansley plays the funny man while Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly plays his wife Lee Middleton. Filming is underway and the show is set to air late in 2012 or early 2013. Fans of Everett will be pleased to know that many of his favorite characters will be featured in the show.
Related Articles:
Inside Men and White Heat on BBC America
Great Expectations v River Monsters
Mr Selfridges...
- 4/3/2012
- by admin
Oliver Lansley ("Whites") is set to play classic British comedian Kenny Everett in BBC Four's new telemovie biopic "The Best Possible Taste" reports The BBC.
A radio DJ and television entertainer, the offbeat and wild Everett is probably best remembered for his own series "The Kenny Everett Television Show" which ran throughout much of the 80's.
Some of Everett's most famous characters including Sid Snot and Cupid Stunt will be featured. Everett died in 1995 from an AIDS-related illness at the age of 50.
Former "Coronation Street" actress Katherine Kelly will star as Lee 'Lady Lee' Middleton, Everett's wife of thirteen years.
A radio DJ and television entertainer, the offbeat and wild Everett is probably best remembered for his own series "The Kenny Everett Television Show" which ran throughout much of the 80's.
Some of Everett's most famous characters including Sid Snot and Cupid Stunt will be featured. Everett died in 1995 from an AIDS-related illness at the age of 50.
Former "Coronation Street" actress Katherine Kelly will star as Lee 'Lady Lee' Middleton, Everett's wife of thirteen years.
- 4/3/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The first picture of Oliver Lansley and ex-Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly in Kenny Everett biopic The Best Possible Taste has been released. BBC Four's Tim Whitnall-penned drama will follow the "unconventional love story" of late maverick comic and DJ Everett (Oliver Lansley), and his wife Lee Middleton (Kelly), who were married for 13 years between 1966 and 1979. The 90-minute biopic will celebrate Everett's life and career and will feature his famous comic creations Sid Snot and Cupid Stunt. "Kenny Everett was a genuine original: wild and unfocused maybe, but also deliciously anarchic and always entertaining. In many ways Kenny was a very modern celebrity, wearing his heart (more)...
- 4/3/2012
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
Noel Fielding returns to TV screen this month with his new series 'Luxury Comedy' which starts on E4 January 26.
The series is described as psychedelic character-based comedy show half filmed and half animated, with music provided by Kasabian's Sergio Pizzorno.
Along with animator/director Nigel Coan (The Mighty Boosh, Bunny and the Bull), Fielding has created a joyful, charming explosion of a TV show that is in the tradition of Spike Milligan and Kenny Everett but completely modern at the same time.
The show is like biting into an aurora borealis sandwich...like Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger recreating The Jungle Book using toast... Warm and strange and packed with jokes, Luxury Comedy will change the way you feel about television and your own hands forever.
'Television needs a madman - I just want to blow people's minds.'
You can check out some very short clips below of what...
The series is described as psychedelic character-based comedy show half filmed and half animated, with music provided by Kasabian's Sergio Pizzorno.
Along with animator/director Nigel Coan (The Mighty Boosh, Bunny and the Bull), Fielding has created a joyful, charming explosion of a TV show that is in the tradition of Spike Milligan and Kenny Everett but completely modern at the same time.
The show is like biting into an aurora borealis sandwich...like Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger recreating The Jungle Book using toast... Warm and strange and packed with jokes, Luxury Comedy will change the way you feel about television and your own hands forever.
'Television needs a madman - I just want to blow people's minds.'
You can check out some very short clips below of what...
- 1/10/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
Sirens co. Channel 4
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N Conrad
Just two hours after ITV’s Kenny Everett tribute show, the new Channel 4 sitcom Sirens began tonight and it got off to quite an interesting start. It probably equaled the beginning of Four Weddings and a Funeral for most uses of the f-word in 30 seconds but even if you didn’t care for the dialogue, you must admit that it was great to hear Angry Anderson’s classic love song “Suddenly” playing in the background. The gory shot of a car crash victim was a bit unnecessary but in fairness the nice announcer did warn us that it would be graphic from the start.
Now to the comedy. It wasn’t exactly slapstick but neither was it in the mold of quasi-realistic shows like the Royal Family.
Click here to friend us on Facebook or click here to follow our new Twitter page.
N Conrad
Just two hours after ITV’s Kenny Everett tribute show, the new Channel 4 sitcom Sirens began tonight and it got off to quite an interesting start. It probably equaled the beginning of Four Weddings and a Funeral for most uses of the f-word in 30 seconds but even if you didn’t care for the dialogue, you must admit that it was great to hear Angry Anderson’s classic love song “Suddenly” playing in the background. The gory shot of a car crash victim was a bit unnecessary but in fairness the nice announcer did warn us that it would be graphic from the start.
Now to the comedy. It wasn’t exactly slapstick but neither was it in the mold of quasi-realistic shows like the Royal Family.
- 6/27/2011
- by admin
Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley in an enterprising black comic horror film, Splice samples the DNA of Alien, The Fly and Eraserhead. By Peter Bradshaw
As the late Kenny Everett would have said, "It's all in the best possible taste." Vincenzo Natali, director of the cult 1997 mystery Cube, has confected a bizarre black-comic horror, a cross-breed mutant Frankenfilm with bits of Ridley Scott's Alien, David Cronenberg's The Fly and David Lynch's Eraserhead. It's also an entertaining and cheerfully subversive satire on corporate ambition, and on the consequences of suppressing one's sex drive in favour of one's work drive.
Natali imagines a highly profitable biotech company, in the not-too-distant future, which uneasily tolerates among its workforce a married couple to whose creative scientific genius it has given a long leash. They are Clive and Elsa, played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, who by thinking outside the box,...
As the late Kenny Everett would have said, "It's all in the best possible taste." Vincenzo Natali, director of the cult 1997 mystery Cube, has confected a bizarre black-comic horror, a cross-breed mutant Frankenfilm with bits of Ridley Scott's Alien, David Cronenberg's The Fly and David Lynch's Eraserhead. It's also an entertaining and cheerfully subversive satire on corporate ambition, and on the consequences of suppressing one's sex drive in favour of one's work drive.
Natali imagines a highly profitable biotech company, in the not-too-distant future, which uneasily tolerates among its workforce a married couple to whose creative scientific genius it has given a long leash. They are Clive and Elsa, played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, who by thinking outside the box,...
- 7/22/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The female leads in Michael Winterbottom's new movie are allowing themselves to be abused
If you want an insight into the power pyramid of Hollywood, you only have to look at the heat Michael Winterbottom is getting for the graphic violence against females in his film of Jim Thompson's 1952 novel, The Killer Inside Me.
Then look at how actresses Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson are barely mentioned, certainly not held culpable, as if they weren't professionals in charge of their own destiny, rather, poseable dolls, happily helpless in the director's hands. What price progress, ladies? Say what you like about Linda Lovelace, but didn't she have to be drugged into making Deep Throat.
Winterbottom deserves the heat – this could have been a modern noir classic (Casey Affleck as the psychopath sheriff is excellent). Winterbottom is also too good a film-maker to be relying on the crude visuals of...
If you want an insight into the power pyramid of Hollywood, you only have to look at the heat Michael Winterbottom is getting for the graphic violence against females in his film of Jim Thompson's 1952 novel, The Killer Inside Me.
Then look at how actresses Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson are barely mentioned, certainly not held culpable, as if they weren't professionals in charge of their own destiny, rather, poseable dolls, happily helpless in the director's hands. What price progress, ladies? Say what you like about Linda Lovelace, but didn't she have to be drugged into making Deep Throat.
Winterbottom deserves the heat – this could have been a modern noir classic (Casey Affleck as the psychopath sheriff is excellent). Winterbottom is also too good a film-maker to be relying on the crude visuals of...
- 6/7/2010
- by Barbara Ellen
- The Guardian - Film News
To celebrate the 30th birthday of The Empire Strikes Back this coming Friday, Ryan finds out what happened next for those involved...
How about this for making some of us feel old? The Empire Strikes Back got its maiden cinema release on May 21st 1980. That, at the time of this article going live, is tomorrow. Tomorrow, one of the finest science fiction blockbusters of all time is going to be 30.
It's testament to the many strengths of the movie that it's still talked about so frequently three decades on, and many, of course, rate it as the finest Star Wars movie of the lot. But what happened to those who worked on it, in front of and behind the camera? We decided to celebrate the film's birthday by finding out...
Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker
Following the massive success of the Star Wars original trilogy, Hamill spent much of his...
How about this for making some of us feel old? The Empire Strikes Back got its maiden cinema release on May 21st 1980. That, at the time of this article going live, is tomorrow. Tomorrow, one of the finest science fiction blockbusters of all time is going to be 30.
It's testament to the many strengths of the movie that it's still talked about so frequently three decades on, and many, of course, rate it as the finest Star Wars movie of the lot. But what happened to those who worked on it, in front of and behind the camera? We decided to celebrate the film's birthday by finding out...
Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker
Following the massive success of the Star Wars original trilogy, Hamill spent much of his...
- 5/20/2010
- Den of Geek
BBC Four has announced a drama biopic about the late comedian Kenny Everett. The 90-minute film, titled Number One in Heaven, is to focus on the life of the star, who died of an AIDS-related death in 1995 aged 50. Tim Whitnall, playwright of the upcoming programme, told The Guardian: "He was so small it is hard to think of finding an actor who can play him. It is possible he could be (more)...
- 3/15/2010
- by By Paul Millar
- Digital Spy
Mira Mexico! London
The darkly surreal edge that saturates both comedy and tragedy in Mexican cinema is a constant source of delight, and there's plenty of it on show in this season of contemporary Mexican talent. Rollicking circus black comedy Meet The Head Of Juan Pérez, for example, revolves around a magician's unfortunate decapitation, while in Rodrigo Pla's art-and animation-suffused The Desert Within, a peasant attempts to thwart a government ban on religion. There's also Daniel And Ana, a shocking tale of kidnapped siblings, and Five Days Without Nora, a heart-warming take on a well-organised suicide.
Barbican Screen, EC2, Thu to 27 Jan
Slapstick 2010, Bristol
Whether it's a twirl of Chaplin's cane, fisticuffs between Laurel and Hardy or a cartoon anvil falling on an unsuspecting cartoon head, chances are you're a secret, or not-so-secret, lover of slapstick comedy. And why not? As this sixth slapstick silent comedy festival proves, it's as popular today as ever.
The darkly surreal edge that saturates both comedy and tragedy in Mexican cinema is a constant source of delight, and there's plenty of it on show in this season of contemporary Mexican talent. Rollicking circus black comedy Meet The Head Of Juan Pérez, for example, revolves around a magician's unfortunate decapitation, while in Rodrigo Pla's art-and animation-suffused The Desert Within, a peasant attempts to thwart a government ban on religion. There's also Daniel And Ana, a shocking tale of kidnapped siblings, and Five Days Without Nora, a heart-warming take on a well-organised suicide.
Barbican Screen, EC2, Thu to 27 Jan
Slapstick 2010, Bristol
Whether it's a twirl of Chaplin's cane, fisticuffs between Laurel and Hardy or a cartoon anvil falling on an unsuspecting cartoon head, chances are you're a secret, or not-so-secret, lover of slapstick comedy. And why not? As this sixth slapstick silent comedy festival proves, it's as popular today as ever.
- 1/16/2010
- by Andrea Hubert
- The Guardian - Film News
Did the Andy Serkis-starring Ian Dury biopic get your toes tapping and heart pumping, or were you just left with a blocked head?
The critics have, for the most part at least, been rather dazzled by this unorthodox biopic of Ian Dury, that unlikely lad of the late 70s and early 80s music scene: a pugacious polio survivor whose lyrical dexterity delved the mucky depths of British society for pearls of wisdom. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a highly theatrical, unsentimental vision of a rambunctious ride through the new wave era, with Andy Serkis wonderfully channelling the late Dury's relentless energy and anarchic spirit, as well as singing all the songs with the original band.
Yet some - a minority it must be said - argue that the film's overwhelming emphasis on Dury himself, with Serkis present in almost every frame of the movie, has made for a lopsided...
The critics have, for the most part at least, been rather dazzled by this unorthodox biopic of Ian Dury, that unlikely lad of the late 70s and early 80s music scene: a pugacious polio survivor whose lyrical dexterity delved the mucky depths of British society for pearls of wisdom. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a highly theatrical, unsentimental vision of a rambunctious ride through the new wave era, with Andy Serkis wonderfully channelling the late Dury's relentless energy and anarchic spirit, as well as singing all the songs with the original band.
Yet some - a minority it must be said - argue that the film's overwhelming emphasis on Dury himself, with Serkis present in almost every frame of the movie, has made for a lopsided...
- 1/11/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Comedian Michael McIntyre has signed a £1 million book deal with Penguin, say tabloid reports. McIntyre's autobiography will apparently chronicle his "showbiz upbringing". The 33-year-old's mother was a professional dancer, while his dad was a writer on The Kenny Everett Show. The stand-up has also been given a second series of his Comedy Roadshow on the BBC, acccording to The Sun. "Even (more)...
- 9/4/2009
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
LONDON -- Britain's home video distributors said Thursday that they will release a special DVD of comedy clips in a bid to raise £1 million ($1.9 million) to aid Unicef's Tsunami Children's Appeal. Titled "The Best Comedy DVD in the World," the British Video Assn.-endorsed DVD will be released Feb. 7 and will feature a range of modern and classic British and international comedy routines drawn from stand-up performances, TV series and movies. Produced by Revolver Entertainment and distributed by Pinnacle Vision, the release will be backed by a promotion campaign that will include TV and radio interview support from Unicef's celebrity ambassadors. Performers slated to appear include such current U.K. favorites as Ricky Gervais, Lee Evans, Jack Dee, Eddie Izzard and Peter Kay, plus excerpts from TV shows The Office, Little Britain and The Royle Family. There will be vintage clips from the likes of Benny Hill, Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, Kenny Everett, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Wallace & Gromit.
- 1/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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