Reviews

On the whole, this show is fun, has its moments, the cast have great chemistry and you can tell everyone had a blast making this and tried their hardest.

The biggest problems I can see are that there is a type of joke that is prevalent in this show and can get repetitive (someone saying something random to hide something they can't let others know). Furthermore, that kind of joke relies on cringe comedy and there are times when it does make me want to skip through until the end of that joke.

Another problem I found was the drama/mystery/will they get caught? Elements are full of plot conveniences and it comes off as lazy. Most plot points are set in motion by Sheila and Joel making a basic mistake, which you can suspend your disbelief for for a few episodes, but not a whole 3 seasons.

Overall, this is a fun, lighthearted show which is worth your time if you love gore or are a fan of a sitcom.

This film is nothing special. That's not to say it's bad, in fact it's pretty good. It just feels pretty average. Nevertheless, it has its own ireverrency that make it worth the watch. Technically, I found it all decent (especially the gorgeous cinematography) acting-wise it was good but its story was trite and unspecialised. Despite that, its charm and quirks will leave you smiling throughout, something refreshing when most summer blockbusters are part of massive franchises or greeedy remakes/reboots. Refreshing, charming and well made, if slightly bland.

Before reading this review, please keep in mind I have only seen the first season so anything I critisize is from the first season.

I'm a huge fan of British Panel shows, such as 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, Taskmaster, Mock The Week etc. I also am a huge fan of James Acaster and (to a slightly lesser extent) Josh Widdicombe. So I thought this would be a great show for me but sadly, while it was enjoyable, it wasn't as great as I expected.

Things I liked

James Acaster- he adds an exuberant charm to the show and I am sure that without him, the show wouldn't be as good.

The premise itself- credit where credit is due to the developers of this program as they have come up with an interesting and fresh idea for a panel show. To be able to create an idea that can be moulded for something new every episode is commendable.

The physicality of it- Sure it's not as physically engaging as something like Total Wipeout, but I appreciated the use of props and other items to elevate the show's humour.

Things I disliked

Josh Widdicombe- this guy is pretty funny but in this show he feels very out of place. I'm not sure what he's supposed to be doing as his co-host James Acaster seems to be doling out points and setting the parameters for the hypothetical situation. Furthermore, most of the time he sounds bored and speaks in a flat tone, making the show feel a bit awkward. Maybe if they gave him a more inclusive role on the series he could be more funny, or maybe if he just acted more relaxed I would enjoy it more.

The audience- this isn't necessarily the show's fault but my god do the audience get in my nerves. Normally in a panel show you get laughs from the audience after every joke, volume dependent on how funny the joke was. If a series of quick fire jokes are made or something is highly amusing, the audience will clap for about 5 seconds. The problem is the audience seem to clap every other joke which completely grinds the show to a halt. Again, I don't mind the laughs and I don't mind the clapping, as long as its used sparingly for the really good jokes, not every other one.

The length- This show often feels like an uncut episode of Would I Lie To You where the contestants in that show are allowed to ramble on and on which makes the show inherently less funny. I think this show would fit a half an hour runtime much better, as it allows for quickfire comedy in a small size. However that's not to say there aren't some great moments in these long episodes.



Conclusion

While there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments that occur regularly, the show can sometimes feel a bit awkward and stilted, largely due to the audience and Josh Widdicombe, although James Acaster and the guests for each episode often help lessen the awkwardness. If you are in the mood for something breezy and light, this show fits the bill pretty well. However it is going to need some changes to be considered one of the great panel shows.

I'll be honest, I probably wouldnt've watched this if Alan Ruck, Brian Cox or Kieran Culkin weren't in it. However, the thing that finally sold me was the show's creator, Jesse Armstrong, writer on Peep Show, Fresh Meat, In The Loop and Four Lions, all shows/films I thoroughly enjoyed. I was not dissapointed.

I'll admit the first three episodes aren't as exciting as I'd anticipated, however I understood it needed to set up it's tone, characters and premise and did so quite well. This build up of events only made episodes 6 onwards that much better, making the show's first season overall wonderful.

The show understands that it can take gleeful joy in making fun of the setting of it, and also understands its own tone, which is refreshing. Comedic dialogue is sprinkled throughout, but not overdone so much where I can't take intenser and more dramatic scenes seriously.

The cast have a perfect rapport and chemistry which adds to the fun. Their debaseless acts as they do anything to get to the top in terms of wealth and status is delightful to view.

My only major complaint with it is the camera work. I saw a review saying it was the reason they hated it due to it's tired, lazy zooms and shaking that didn't display any creativity whatsoever. While I don't agree entirely with that statement, I do see how it doesn't fit the tone of the show as it makes it seem more like a mockumentary (What We Do In The Shadows, The Office, Parks And Recreation etc.) As this show is more or less a drama with some comedic elements sprinkled in, this camerawork pulled me out of the experience. However this didn't ruin the show so much it was unwatchable, as there are plenty of moments to enjoy from the performances, writing and score.

At this point, it feels like a cliché to say HBO make phenomenal and groundbreaking shows. But I'm going to say it again because their consistency in programming quality is astounding and worthy of most, if not all the Emmys and Golden Globes that get chucked their way.

DISCLAIMER- This is my opinion, none of what I say about the movie in terms of whether it was good or bad is fact so don't get upset with me if you disagree

Overall, I enjoyed this film. For those who may not know, Charlie Brooker wrote comedy and reviews before Black Mirror. While I enjoy Black Mirror a lot, it was nice to see him get in touch with his old comedic roots again (Nathan Barley, Brass Eye etc.)

In regards to the movie, I think the humuor was very diverse. You had elements of satire (Millenial claiming he is black and driving around black neighbourhood to feel their pain), elements of absurdity (Lisa Kudrow constantly denying many things she said) and more. Due to the wide sense of humour the mockumentary had, I feel it was more accessible.

Granted, their are a few things that didn't work. like many other reviews are saying, the second half did get a bit too American election oriented which isn't a bad thing as there was a lot of comedy to mine from that election but I feel it would have benefited from covering a few more topics globally.

In terms of acting, everything was on point. The highlights for me were Samson Kayo, Joe Keery, Hugh Grant and Kumail Nanjiani although I did enjoy everyone's performance.

To conclude, you should watch this. It's something nice to end the year on and while it has a fair amount of flaws, the positives greatly outshine them.

I know everyone has varying tastes and not everyone will agree with me on everything but I think everyone who has seen and enjoyed BoJack Horseman can agree this is one of the, if not the best episode of this show and television in general.

Of course, you need to have watched a fair chunk of previous episodes to fully enjoy this one but when you watch it knowing the full BoJack Horseman story, the emotional weight can fully impact you. Numerous callbacks to previous fan-favourite episodes are made, but not to the point where it is merely for fan service, it serves the story which is something most shows don't do when including references and callbacks.

The actual story- I won't give any spoilers but I really enjoyed the way it all built up like a beautiful crescendo. The entire episode had a dreamy feel to it which definitely did it some favours. The animation was top-notch, and always added an extra layer of enjoyment to the viewer. After the episode had finished, I found myself still and unable to move in awe at the mesmerising events that had unfolded before me.

To conclude- This is definitely one of my favourite episodes of TV ever, and I think much like season 3 episode 5 of Black Mirror (for example) upon re-watching you won't be able to see it in the same way again.

Armando Ianucci has proved he can master the art of political satire on the small screen but not only does this film solidify his reputation as a masterful storyteller, work as a kind of spin-off for fans of The Thick of It but is just bloody brilliant.

After cabinet minister Simon Foster claims 'war is unforseeable' in front of several interviewers, his career is plunged into madness as politicians from the US see him as a useful resource and before he knows is too far in as an unsuspecting pawn in a large scale political battle.

The whole film has a frenetic element to it while still retaining sharp British wit, clever as ever. Peter Capaldi particularly shines as a foul mouthed Malcolm Tucker, maliciously destroying everyone around him. James Gandolfini also stands out as he can be malicious in a more sly way, which is still equally entertaining.

It is honestly hard to find a flaw in this film. All cast are on point, the writing clever changes in tone as out British protagonists go to Washington and the plot is engaging. I went into this movie with relatively high expectations and this film did not disappoint whatsoever.

However If you are not a fan of relentless profanity, I would recommended avoiding this. Aside from that, a must watch for fans of British humour or political satires

JoJo Rabbit is an excellent film. Despite all the darkness surrounding the time period this is set in, Waititi manages to pull through and find the lightly comedic parts that need it while still recognising more negative aspects of the war and not drowning us in gags. Adolf as JoJo's imaginary friend was an excellent dynamic and it was empowering when we saw JoJo finally beat the life of fighting and hating he was born into. The casting was excellent, directing was thriving and throughout our all, I could sense Waititi's deadpan, sometimes offbeat humour. My only complaints are that the pacing felt a little too fast for the part where JoJo finally removes the 'Hitler' part of his mind and that Jemaine Clement or Bret McKenzie didn't have cameos but that's more of a fanboy complaint and didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie