daveairguitar Reviews

Common as Muck (1994–1997)

Common As Muck - Gritty As Funny!

[14 July 2002]

Common As Muck has a great deal in common with Auf Weidershen Pet. Both deal with the interesting situation of throwing together a riff-raff of different characters into one melting pot then standing back and watching the whole lot go off.

We are introduced to a group of very different men who are thrown together by their common trade, they are binmen. Their developing friendship, loves and various intertwined lives are followed closely as they bumble along. The cast read like a who's who of well established British actors. Edward Woodward, the comedian Roy Hudd, June Whitfield and Tim Healy of Auf Weidershen Pet fame. The tone is realistic, gritty, yet poignant and funny. Written and acted to high standard as you would expect of the BBC's recent northern dramas, it ran for two series and stands as another example of real everyday peoples lives and jobs being as interesting and funny as gritty and realistic.

Little Nicky (2000)

Welcome to the manic world of Adam Sandler!

[5/10 · 7 June 2001]

Adam Sandler is a very funny man but where this movie fails is its overdose on sentimentality. Don't get me wrong it is a good film but its hardly funny ha! ha! more like funny strange with a couple of titters here and there. Sandler plays Little Nicky a kind of strange character somewhere between Quasimodo and his nerdy character in the Waterboy. Ryhs Ifans starring as Nicky's evil brother Adrian is gloriously over the top and completely steals the show. Adrian and Nicky's other evil brother Cassius decide to go up to earth to corrupt the people and their father the Devil himself (amusingly played by Harvey Kietel) sends Little Nicky after them to bring them back cue sub-plot about the Devil dying because Adrian and Cassius have frozen the gates to the entrance of hell, etc etc. This leaves Little Nicky till midnight to get them back before his father, the unholy one himself croaks. Once Nicky gets upto earth he does the usual stranger to the world routine embarrassing himself with his lack of social and moralness. His love interest is completely blink and you'll miss her and thats about it really. Check out cameos from Henri Winkler, Carl Weathers as Chubbs (Its all in the HIPS!) and Quentin Tarantino. Could have been so much better!

Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

Disappointing disjointed affair

[4/10 · 7 June 2001]

Jim Carrey used to be a funny man. Dumb and Dumber was sheer class because he played it toned down (for a change!). Every comedy he's made since then he seems to get more and more over the top. Cable Guy had its moments as did Ace Ventura. Liar Liar was just sheer schmaltzy pap. Which brings us to Me, Myself and Irene. Slated on its realise for its poking fun at Schizophrenia the idea in its self is good and seems suited to Jim's manic brand of humour. Jim plays Charlie a cop with a problem for letting people walk all over him. One day he blows his top and decides to take out his frustrations on everybody, in his alter ego Hank. This includes the rather unfunny pretend drowning of a little girl in a fountain for skipping on the road and embarrassing a woman in the supermarket for buying vagina cream. Enter the love interest Renee Zellweger who does a moderate job when Carrey's over the top performance doesn't blast her off the screen. The humour is very childish and you end up feeling rather sorry for Jim's victims as you do for him. The plot is non-existent and the whole film feels like a sad empty shell of a vehicle for Jim to gurn through while doing a silly Clint Eastwood impression as his alter ego Hank. A complete basted turkey! Stick with the serious stuff Jim!!!!!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

This is how to make a funny film.....

[9/10 · 2 June 2001]

The Grail is a fantastic film. It sets a precedent for the Pythons as they moved into films from the hugely successful TV series. Several of the scenes in it have attained cult status not least the Black Knight fight scene, the rude Frenchman and the Knights who say "Nee". The ending is a little bit of a let down, that is true but the Python boys never kept things simple or predictable. The fact that they don't get hold of the Grail only seems to compound how bumbling their whole adventure has been. Extra credit should goto co-writer John Cleese who plays some of the movies funniest characters including the Black Knight, Tim the Wizard and Sir Lancelot who can't help hacking people to death. This is a true gem and the comedy hasn't dated in 26 years since it was made. Their humour sets a precedent in what is arguably the best of the three Python films. Comedians have tryed to copy their style but there is only one true master - Monty Python.