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Reviews
Keeping Up Appearances (1990)
Outstanding British comedy at its best
Hyacinth Bucket, or should I say, "Bouqet", is one of TV's greatest ladies. Patricia Routledge plays the part extremely well, allowing us to enter middle-Britain every time we tune in.
Keeping Up Appearances is truly delightfully written. With a talented cast; each episode unfolds into another problem for Hyacinth and her family. Her estranged son Sheriden, who never appears on screen is her true treasure. She is so proud of him and his achievements but is forever missing the signs that he is doing a drama and arts course and living with another man. Hilarious! Hyacinth's ever so hard efforts to climb the social ladder are so funny. Each and every episode she is trying to better herself and her long-loving and long-suffering husband, Richard.
The essence of the programme is how different from Hyacinth her two sisters are. Rose and Daisy, from the nearby council estate give Hyacinth nothing but grief and embarrassment! From their old Ford Cortina parked on the driveway on bricks, with a dog on the back seat to Rose's new man, Hyacinth is forever worried about what the upper classes will think of her.
Excellent script writing makes the on-screen chemistry between Hyacinth and her family truly remarkable. I love the true British style to this comedy drama. There's a Hyacinth in every village and that's what makes it so funny to watch.
An outstanding programme, with good and very good acting throughout. Well done to all those associated with Keeping Up Appearance.
Airplane! (1980)
A highly effective film, containing good and very good comedy.
This is a highly effective and very entertaining film. It is full of double meanings, good one-liners and exciting imagery. Now, in 2007 is appears somewhat 'tacky' but I feel this adds to it's effectiveness.
Some of the flashbacks of Stryker are a little dull but these are bettered by some of the other hilarious scenes. I love the idea that the entire flight deck go down unwell with food poisoning. As the passengers watch each of them taken through the cabin on stretches and hear the announcement "excuse me, does anybody on board know how to fly a plane" it is left to Stryker to fly the plane! From beginning to end it is filled with hilarious scenes of comedy at its best. It's a DVD that never gets dusty on my shelf! Well done to all who worked on Airplane, back in the year I was born!
Queer as Folk: Out of the Closet, Into the Fire (2000)
A moving series
This is a moving series which offers a great deal of excellent imagery and dialogue. There are some parts of the series which 'camp's up' homosexuality somewhat and this is quite frustrating. This aside, it accesses some important issues for young gay males.
Fresh, inspiring and realistic, I feel Queer as Folk was, for it's time, brave in what it did. Some excellent scenes which so many of us can empathise with. I like the way the series dips in and out of the lives of the key characters, Stuart and Nathan. At so many points during the series I was left glued to the screen - awaiting the next episode.
The entire team of actors should be congratulated for making one of the best series of all time.