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Reviews
Grimsby (2016)
Quite simply hilarious
Okay the story line was somewhat limited but the fact England are in the World Cup Final alone suggests this movie is to be taken at face value. A typical Sacha Baron Cohen, laugh out loud, offensive, brash and taken for what it is. A laugh. It gets its first serious laugh out loud moment within the first twenty seconds of the movie. If anyone didn't find themselves crying with laughter within the first minute, then they need a sense of humour bypass. So funny I had to rewind and watch again. At times the gags come so thick and fast that you'll have to watch it a second time because I know I missed some the first time. It is a bit frantic at times and even though the story line is far fetched. You find yourself struggling to keep up with everything that is going on. Therein maybe is part of the problem. The cast is huge and with a number of comedy well known's playing little more than cameo roles. You wonder whether more could have been done with their comedic talents. I.E. Rebel Wilson, although she has two scenes which are funny, is largely missing from the movie. Whether people from Grimsby like it or not; and this film could be associated with any inner city/town environment in Britain. It could just as easily been called 'Brothers Burnley' or 'Brothers Slough'. It is a very accurate portrayal of life in those areas and those communities. So much so the British ability to laugh at oneself should not be lost on how wonderfully funny (albeit the acting from the kids is wooden) Cohen manages to make it. Yes it'll make you cringe, it'll shock, it'll make tears of laughter roll down your cheeks. It will only offend those who want to be offended and let's face it. You should know what you're in for with a Cohen movie before even watching. I am still chuckling inside at the 'elephant' scene, albeit slightly longer than it needed to be. One of the better comedies of recent years and certainly better than most of the dross coming out of Hollywood that, for some reason merits a sequel when they are not even remotely as funny as this. One worth watching again.
Count Arthur Strong (2013)
Late to the party but hilarious!
The first series seemed to go under the radar. I believe it was originally broadcast on BBC3 so that may be the reason. Easily one of the funniest comedies of recent years. Excellently written, as with most comedies it does have it's loose plots and far fetched story lines, but it is, by and large; very much worth watching again and again. It's got to be a decent comedy for me to watch more than once and some of the episodes are a laugh a second. I implore everyone to watch out for the episode in the second series with the rogue plumber. It seems to get funnier every time I watch it. The only one I missed from series two but ultimately caught up on; was the episode about flying lessons and the clocks going back/forward (part of that was the joke) which was as funny, if not funnier than the plumber episode and I thought that would be impossible to achieve. The great rumble between the Street Urchins and the Count's gang is equally hilarious. There are plenty of laughs throughout the series. The cold caller called Eddie is another one which truly is a masterclass and has me wanting to do the same when a cold caller calls me! Can't wait for the third series!
The Windsors (2016)
Not for Royalists
First off it's after the watershed so expect bad language. It's not offensive in the slightest. Not sure what people expect from a satire broadcast on Channel 4 after 9pm. One slight let down is that the characters don't (by and large) look like the real people, but it grows on you. Harry is portrayed as a dim wit, William as a torn do-good- er who believes the Monarchy has no part in modern Britain. Camilla seems hell bent on changing the bloodline for the heir to the throne. Charles is determined to be King at any cost. The portrayal of Pippa and Kate as Gypsies is entertaining. Eugenie and Beatrice steal the show with their non-conformist attitudes to actual work. Edward as the black sheep who has a new job (sometimes a few jobs) per episode to make money is hilarious. (Watch out for the rescue of Harry from a Latvian mental institute by posing as a window cleaner) is hilarious. It has a loose story line and at times I just don't get the connection. William working undercover in a Greek cafe was just weird! It works if you like satire and can take a step back and appreciate it for what it is. A gentle mickey take at the monarchy. It genuinely has it's laugh out loud moments and even I, although I am a Republican, thoroughly admire Harry in particular. The YouTube bit with Eugenie and Beatrice was laugh out loud funny. It's not laugh a minute, but has several moments per episode that do make me laugh. Being from the North, I even found the northern stereotype when Kate (fresh from recovering from Ebola) and Camilla made a visit to a typically northern town. Flat caps, whippets etc. You take it for what it is. If you can laugh at yourselves, which the British are supposedly good at. You'll enjoy it in parts. As stated though. Eugenie, Beatrice, Edward and Harry are the stars of the show for the laughs.