The Pianist

The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002)

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Rating: Q=7, P=5 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Holocaust, WWII, Disturbing, Emotionally-Gripping, Biopic

One of the things I love about film is the way our belief is suspended- how we can become so involved with the characters and how our brains seem convinced that everything we are watching is real. But when the story is over, it's over. The credits roll and we are reminded that cinema is an interpretation, a reflection, an artistic vision. Our belief can be suspended, but eventually it is resolved. This is no different considering films about the Holocaust, and for me this is makes watching them very difficult. The images are so vivid and usually disturbing, the stories always leave me with knots in my stomach. But the knots go away... perhaps too quickly. The Pianist is an intense film about a time of unthinkable acts. And it is especially intense because it is a biopic- Wladyslaw Szpilman really did live through the horrors. We should all watch it because we need to remember, even if only for a few hours.

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SPECIAL: Brit-Com Madness

You know those crazy people out there who marathon TV shows and research the actors and writers and characters and any other interesting facts learned in the programs? Yeah, that's me. Give me a rainy day and my Northern Exposure DVDs any day... I love a dramatic/quirky miniseries, a good mystery, or any period series. But if I had to pick just one favorite "type" of television program, the answer is quite clear: British Comedy. I am mad for the BBC.

In fact, I'm so mad for comedies and laughter and British humor that I originally intended to study it for my masters degree. (I opted instead for dramatic coming-of-age foreign dramas)

vs. ??

I first saw British Comedy when I was little, basically whatever was shown on PBS in the evening- Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served, Fawlty Towers, and others. I remember seeing Monty Python's Flying Circus when I was 11 or 12 and wondering what it all meant. At that point, I knew it was funny but I just didn't know why. That same year (6th grade) I discovered a program created by John Cleese and Michael Palin that came before Monty Python called How To Irritate People. My dad bought the VHS tape and I watched that thing obsessively.

You can watch a favorite clip from the program here.

After that, I could not get enough. I started religiously watching The Red Green Show (Canadian, I know, but this is just my history) and soon after I entered the BBC void of no return by discovering Red Dwarf.

To me, Red Dwarf is the ultimate comedy show. It combines brilliant banter-style humor, hilarious and believable characters, science fiction fantasy narratives, the sitcom setup, and even some spoof and satire thrown in. If you haven't watched an episode, watch one right now.

Click here for a little taste.

Over the years I've come to enjoy countless other great BBC comedies. I've grouped my favorites by main humor style:

If you like humor that makes you cringe, where characters are social misfits with awkward behavior and get themselves into truly embarrassing situations:

Peep Show

If you like crude, insulting, and potentially offensive humor, sketch comedy style, not afraid to hold anything back jokes and situations:

Snuff Box

If you like the familiarity of the sitcom and/or observational comedy format- humor that is witty, silly, a clear narrative plot (with subplots), subtle jokes and timing:

Black Books

--Double Whoopee Rating

IT Crowd

--Double Whoopee Rating

If you like Improv/Panel Shows- humor that is completely unplanned, created by interaction and train-of-thought:

QI

--Double Whoopee Rating

If you like Sketch Comedy:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Kids In The Hall (Canadian again, I know, but it's worth putting here)

--Double Whoopee Rating

That Mitchell and Webb Look

If you like Surreal/Absurd Comedy- format that has narrative but takes a while to fully grasp, a world unto itself, ridiculous, satirical, pop culture, cult-like:

The Mighty Boosh

--Double Whoopee Rating

If you like spoof, satire, and mockumentary format- humor that is dark and intentionally poor quality:

Garth Marenghi's Dark Place

This list has something for everyone. Naturally, there are hundreds more -including, The Office, Jeeves and Wooster, Mr. Bean, the great dramedy, Doc Martin- but these are the ones I put on my shelf or "marathoned" after classes or during blizzards.

Now, go laugh.

My Left Foot & My Week With Marilyn

My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989)

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Rating: Q=5, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Biopic, Physical Disability, Emotional, Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds

A very emotional, yet fairly unsentimental film following the life of writer and painter Christy Brown who suffered from severe cerebral palsy his whole life. Daniel Day-Lewis's classic performance is, indeed, phenomenal as he shows both the physical and mental strains of Brown's handicap. Brown's mother, played by the wonderful Brenda Fricker, is my favorite character in this film. Her love, diligence, and sacrifice holds the large family together and saves her son from total alienation and depression. Inspiring.

My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis, 2011)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Biopic, Movie World, Complex Relationships, Romance

The complex life and character of Marilyn Monroe is beautifully portrayed by Michelle Williams. The film itself reflects her bipolar-like lifestyle -lovable, sexy star vs. scared, little girl- with lighthearted moments and serious, dramatic scenes. Other great performances by Kenneth Branagh (Sir Lawrence Olivier) and Dame Judi Dench (Dame Sybil Thorndike) truly bring this film to life and offer an interesting contrast between the traditional, established British theatre- actors and the modern, Hollywood method-actor in Ms. Monroe.

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Being Elmo

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (Constance Marks, 2011)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Documentary, Puppetry, Biopic, Sesame Street/Muppets

This story of the man behind the lovable Elmo, Kevin Clash, is heart-warming and inspiring. I grew up watching puppets on Sesame Street and other programs and this film is as much a story of educational television and the remarkable learning/teaching technique of puppetry as it is about Clash. More people should know who these incredibly kind and talented performers are.

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Mansfield Park & Hugo

Mansfield Park (Patricia Rozema, 1999)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Period Drama, Jane Austen, Romantic, Complex Relationships

As someone with a degree in English literature, I do occasionally love to watch 19th Century romances. Mansfield Park is not exceptional but it takes you back in time, evokes strong emotions, and provides release. Although this is not as well known as Austen's other novels and film adaptations -Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Emma- the story is still worth hearing. As ever, listening to Austen today reveals a very different world of social classes and strict gender roles. And love, that all-powerful force.

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011)

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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Adventure, Artistic, Nostalgia, Whimsical

I was pretty excited to finally sit down and watch Scorsese's latest piece. Hugo has won many awards and was nominated for countless others. All were fully deserved. This film is a painting that moves. I was captivated from the start and was drawn into the magical world of clocks, automatons, the beginning of cinema, and the joy of going to the movies. Some of the script, in my opinion, was a bit sloppy but I don't think it really matters. The story is not told through words but rather through image and feeling. This is so unlike anything Scorsese has done before but somehow is entirely fitting. If you love movies about movies, you'll like this one. If you like incredible mis en scene, watch this one.

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