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Reviews
Seinfeld (1989)
A peculiarly American sitcom
I constantly read that there's plenty of plundering afoot when it comes to American and British sitcoms. Honestly, there is no British television programme that could ever lay claim to the simplistic creativity of "Seinfeld." This is a programme that created its own comedy. It might have begun by poking fun at everyday American middle class situations but by the 3rd or 4th season it had morphed into its own cottage comedy, creating mirth and mayhem through its uniquely crafted citizens. "Seinfeld" held together so well for so long because virtually its entire cast stuck together and grew together. Every character was fully fleshed out, from the stars such as Jerry and George to the occasionals such as Puddy and Elaine's Rabbi. If for one second I believed that New York was like Seinfeld's New York, I would visit it in a New York minute. A true Brit could handle the Soup Nazi and my Mum always wanted to rescue poor George from himself.
The Rockville Slayer (2004)
Rubbish. Using the term actually insults true rubbish
After dallying through almost 20 minutes of this amateur film my hubby remarked "What's going on with that music?" What was going on, and continued to go on until the movie finally, mercifully, faded away was that the person scoring the film apparently fell asleep with his head nudged against the same eternally dull chord on his synthesiser. One note bellows endless, mindlessly, throughout nearly the entire movie, no matter what is happening in any scene, it gets the same blaring note. Honestly, if you can't expect the composer to stay away, please don't expect the viewer to do so either. One only wishes that the composer was a restless sleeper so that he could have nudged against some different keys from time to time.
This video appears to be an amalgam of three or four different stories. It starts out as a teenage video nasty, morphs into a psychological melodrama, veers out of control into an incomprehensible police copper programmer, and then succumbs uncomfortably into a pseudo-horror sequence. At the end of the day, nothing that you've been watching can possibly gel into one story that you can hang your hat on.
The world at large blames a lot on the Yanks these days but if this is what you all are watching then perhaps some of the behaviour we see on the evening news can be excused.
LazyTown (2002)
International fun and frenzy molding (or melting) our minds!
What an amazing television programme! My youngest watches this every single day and tries to emulate Sportacus's and Stephanie's every good habit. She has even made an attempt to pick up on some of the sign language that accompanies the odd broadcast here and there throughout the UK. When my first child watched television I was constantly worried that he would pick up the habits and language of mutant turtles and ninja warriors. Certainly I want my child to be able to defend himself but I didn't appreciate the harshness in his tone when he played in the park with his friends. There always seems to be too much violent confrontation and competition. I'm never one to campaign to have programmes thrown off the airwaves so I monitored my son's viewing habits closely and attempted to wean him from the more violent shows and onto something more palatable. I only wish that 'LazyTown' was available back then. My daughter absolutely loves this show and she has been a pleasure to teach personal grooming, manners and healthy habits. Robbie Rotten is a nice enough villain to bring a sort of tension to the town but never too scary for the young ones and he always gets a pleasant comeuppance at the end. The various children are cute enough puppets and each has a distinct personality trait that will help your tykes to identify bad habits and assist in correcting them. Stephanie is just adorable and Sportacus is enough of a hero for child and Mum to share. The stories are excellent. The music is infectious. The colours are amazing. If you have a child under the age of 6 or 7, he or she should be watching 'LazyTown' and you will be grateful for it.
PS - I also appreciate that the producers have not swamped the markets with cheap toys and other assorted ways of wasting Mummy and Daddy's money. The few tie-ins out there are solid learning items for the most part. Yes, the Stephanie and Sportacus "action" figures are not learning tools but I'm giving them a pass. Besides, I want my own Robbie figure soon.
Prix de beauté (Miss Europe) (1930)
The real Beauty Queen: Louise Brooks
I think I truly love this film . "Prix de Beaute" was originally a silent film but later dubbed into French in 1930. Despite having someone else's voice dubbed over hers, this remains a stunning tour de force for Louis Brooks. The fact that her singing voice is dubbed by the legendary Edith Piaf helps to mollify us purists about the dubbing deception.
This is the story of Lulu and we first see her at a resort with her macho boyfriend, Andre (Georges Charlia) and their friend Antonin (Augusto Bandini). Lulu enters the frame as a pair of legs: we see her inside the car changing into her bathing costume. Lulu is very free with showing off her body and this does not sit well with the irksome Andre. When Lulu considers applying for the title of 'Miss Europe' we know that a happy ending is not going to be sitting at the end of Easy Street.
The film seems to focus a lot on men ogling beautiful women. We see plenty of bathing beauties and the reactions of the men staring at them. But at the center of it all is the magnificent Louise Brooks.
If you don't mind watching films from the bygone eras, then consider checking out this one. Louise Brooks is not a name that most average movie buffs may readily know but as soon as you see her you will be mesmerised and you'll want to know more. Also check her out in 'Pandora's Box' if you can find it.
Be wary of the US Kino DVD release. I don't know if their projection speed is correct. A lot of the scenes appear to be shown at too fast a speed. This may have been the way they were shot. I don't know. But since it's the only way to see this film, it's worth swallowing that one minor bitter pill.