Friday night brought one of the most anticipated films of the festival, based on a brilliant UK series; it was preceded by an Australian short film featuring a number of Australian comedians that may, at first glance, seem a tad self indulgent. Guess which one was better!
The Last Supper
Angus Sampson's short film reimagines the titular last supper as a bawdy work lunch populated by a number of Australia's favourite comedians and Leigh Whannel, the guy largely responsible for the Saw series. It's togas and goblets, but our characters don't fit into the period.
There are a couple of laughs here, and the man who played Jesus – who is the elderly indigenous actor Jack Charles, for some reason – has real presence. However, this is a Tropfest concept stretched out for twice as long as a Tropfest film. When the seven minutes of a Tropfest film often feels like too much, you haven't experienced it for fifteen of them. The film is lumbered with a post-script scene after what feels like the ending that, in the tradition of the film, goes for far too long; then there's more stuff in the credits that, once again, runs too long. Cute concept, but much more (or less) was needed to make it a successful piece of comedy.
3/10
In the Loop
Armando Ianucci's series The Thick of It is probably the best British comedy of the last decade, and one of the most mean-spirited series ever made. It highlights on the spin and inadequacies of government by focusing on its lower levels; members of cabinet, their advisors, and, most memorably, the Prime Minister's Chief Enforcer, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi): a terrifying, foul-mouthed Scot, always in complete control of everything around him.
Tucker makes to transition to the big screen for In the Loop, a spin-off feature film that's as good as the series; that is to say, it's brilliant.
We don't quite have The Thick of It: The Movie here. Only Tucker, his second-in-command Jamie MacDonald (Paul Higgins) – an even angrier Scot – and, very briefly, reporter Angela Heaney (Lucinda Raikes) return from the series. That said, most of the rest of the cast return in some capacity, playing new, if similar. A new element is added in the form of the US government: the film centres around relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, and their movements towards a war in the Middle East.
Everyone here is spot on: newcomers to the cast include Tom Hollander as the hapless minister Simon Foster and Gina McKee as his bitchy head of media Judy; on the other side of the pond, James Gandolfini is as scary as he is funny as Lt. General George Miller, and Anna Chlumsky – yes, from My Girl – does good work as a congresswoman's harried assistant Liza Weld. Returning players in new roles – Chris Addison, James Smith, among others – are absolutely as good as they were in series.
The strength of the cast is matched by the quality of the script, and the improvisations they bring to it. In the Loop is one of the most quotable films in years, with some of the finest abusive language ever to hit cinema screens. The plot itself might take more than one viewing to properly grasp: the outcome is clear, but the machinations that lead up to it are so intricate and the film so quickly paced that it takes a second look to work out who's backstabbing who, and when. In the Loop is good enough for a second viewing, however, and a number more. It's fitting that one of the best UK comedy films in years arises from one of its best shows.
9/10
If you haven't seen the series, track it down. You won't regret it.
Lessons Learned
Swearing makes everything funnier.
There is a way to make a Tropfest film even worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment