Change Your Image
Barnton_K
Reviews
Mammals (2022)
It's not a documentary about James Corden.
Corden can obviously act - as several awards demonstrate. Whether or not you like Corden's acting (and I don't) isn't the point either; Jez Butterworth is one of the best writers working today and I'm interested in his work, not in James Corden.
Mammals is an attempt at something original; when it works it's excellent and while it doesn't always hit the target, its hit-rate is vastly better than most shows. I'd rather watch a flawed attempt at genuine originality than a retread of other shows, which is most TV.
I'm fascinated to see what Jez Butterworth does next. A film version of Jerusalem would be top of anybody's wish-list but whatever it is, it won't be predictable.
The Outlaws (2021)
Warm-hearted fun.
It starts out as a broad, obvious collection of "types" thrown together, a technique which one of the characters refers to in a fairly clunky, self-referential, classic-era Simpsons style. But its clunkier moments don't matter because it soon sets about making the types into actual characters with nuance and dimensions, whom you warm to and want to stick with.
Also it's about flawed people seeking redemption so in that spirit you can overlook the shonky bits, even if some of the redemptive arcs announce themselves in advance. Merchant's character is probably the least interesting and he does his usual shtick but the did write and direct most of it so you don't grudge him having fun with his own toy.
Stick with it and you'll be rewarded with a fun caper.
The Witchfinder (2022)
David Brent casts a long shadow.
Excellent cast, great premise, no original characterisation. The male lead (a terrific live performer) is basically David Brent with some other traits lifted from a few well-worn sitcom characters.
The female lead is a collection of character tics derived from recurring sitcom tropes, not an actual character.
The writers have done some excellent work with Alan Partridge, who was a full-formed, three-dimensional character who had already painstakingly-evolved over several decades in the hands of other writers. Creating their own genuinely original characters is something they've yet to attempt.
It doesn't matter what the characters get up to or what time and place you set them in; if they don't have characteristics which we genuinely haven't seen before, then we know what's coming. We know how they're going to behave and we might as well watch some old favourite sitcoms for that.
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020)
Even the best have low points.
Jerry Seinfeld is one of the great stand-ups of our age with an obsessive dedication to his craft but he just didn't hit his mark here. The subject matter is old and tired and little of it rang true. I don't believe he genuinely gets annoyed by cellphones etc. His "outrage" felt like bad acting - like someone impersonating an old Jerry Seinfeld routine. Lying down on stage just felt like trying too hard.
I'm sure he'll be back with a better show. I'd love to see a routine about what genuinely obsesses and infuriates a multi-millionaire with a massive car collection, and I hope he'll be applying his legendary dedication to his craft to that very thing soon.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Will Ferrel doing Will Ferrel.
Whether you enjoy this film or not depends entirely on how you feel about Will Ferrel because he does what he does in every film - plays a developmentally-arrested man-child. He's like AC/DC - it works so keep doing it - nobody wants to see AC/DC doing an unplugged session or a jazz album.
Personally I find him hilarious so I loved the film. Plot-wise, despite being totally formulaic, it somehow still managed to ramble. You could tell what was going to happen and what the ending would be but none of that mattered because Will Ferrel's hilarious. Rachel McAdams is excellent and a perfect match for Ferrel's 'naive dreamer' shtick - romantic fools that you can't help warming to.
If you like Will Ferrel, you'll like this film. Simple as that.