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Reviews
School of Comedy (2009)
What people expect....it annoys me!! (no real spoilers)
5.3 is not a truly reflective score for this show. Available on 4od.com, I return to it quite often to cheer me up. Complaints about the writing or the concept of kids doing adult humour fall flat on the ground with me. The true concept is that here we have young teenagers developing enough of an understanding about adult life and using their comedic talents to poke fun at it. As for the writing, it is subjective to British life. That said, the viewer needs to overcome the fact that it is being delivered by children, albeit teenagers. When you can appreciate both points, teens making fun of adults with adult based humour, then you are in for a treat. The French taxi passenger who finds football boring and prefers opera and small boys, the estate agent reluctant to show the last room and the (sublime) sketches of the two immigrant South African security guards. Even the thought that teenagers can make fun of these tickles but to see it enacted, and so well, is hugely enjoyable.
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
A 6.8 score is unrepresentative.
I'll admit to have been shocked when I saw this movie scored 6.8. It led me to read many of the reviews, good and bad, and the film seems to have polarised its audience, they either loved it or hated it. I'm most surprised by those who profess to be Shakespeare fans.
Shakespeare was not a period dramatist, he was thoroughly modern in his day. His plays tackled (amongst others) the military, comedy, drama and love and romance and he was well feted for his works in his lifetime.
If I were a fan, I should be delighted that his original (and now ancient) dialogue could be so well blended with the modern visual. Rather than spinning is his grave, I'd say Shakespeare would celebrate the fact that his play (screenplay here) still holds merit in a sex'n'drugs'n'rock'n'roll twentieth century setting.
If you prefer, or can only accept, your Shakespeare with tights, green velvet costumes and feathers in the cap along with cut glass English accents and endless pauses to stare into empty space then don't watch this. If, however, you feel you can overcome the modern visual blended with its ancient dialogue, then this is a must because if you like it then I promise you'll love it and, if you love it, you will be well rewarded.