French & Saunders: At the Movies (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)"French and Saunders" are Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, two incredibly talented British comedic actresses/writers. This collection of spoofs and skits comes courtesy of the BBC.
While featuring several movie spoofs ("Misery", "Silence of the Lambs", "Thelma and Louise", etc) that is not the only genre lampooned by these gifted writers/actors.
In addition to films, they also try their hand at spoofing music videos (their take on Guns-n-Roses "November Rain", with Jennifer Saunders taking on the Axl role and Dawn French that of Slash, is absolutely hysterical), fashion models, high-brow mini-series (Upstairs Downstairs), the Royals, etc.
Of the film spoofs, the "Thelma and Louise" and "Silence of the Lambs" parodies stands out, as does a priceless take on "Star Wars:Phantom Menace". The "Star Wars" spoof is part of the BONUS selections on this DVD.
With tongue firmly in cheek, these two woman break down the fourth wall barrier and often interact out of character with each other, with uproarius results.
Among other topics, they turn their sharp wit to comment on the obvious superiority of Princess Diana over Sarah Ferguson (the DVD is dated 1994, which explains why the "Star Wars" skit is considered BONUS material) and how supermodel Jerry Hall "has it all".
The skits and lampoons here are right on the money, with detailed sets reproductions and props (many an inside joke on props are peppered throughout). Details count with any parody and are much appreciated here - From the costumes, down to the uncanny reproduction of Sigourney Weaver's voice (as portrayed by Jennifer Saunders) in the "Aliens" parody.
Jennifer Saunders has a gift with voices. She does not impersonate so much as interpret nuance (as Clarice in "Silence of the Lambs" and as Ripley in "Aliens").
As for pure, comedy sketches? If anyone has ever been inundated with mail order catalogs, there is an absolutely laugh-out-loud skit which centers around two women who have obviously purchased every catalog item ever produced.
This is an excellent, funny collection and one that you'll enjoy watching and watching again. I think once you've experienced the comic talents of these two very funny women, you'll be looking for additional "French and Saunders" collections.
Note please that I believe this DVD contains different material than the VHS tape, as there is no spoof on "The Exorcist" as indicated in some of the other reviews.
A quick rundown of some topics covered : "Misery", commercial spoofs, "November Rain" music video, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, Jackie and Joan Collins, "Aliens", "American Gladiators", The Mama's and the Papa's music video, "Silence of the Lambs", catalog fans, Jerry Hall, "Thelma and Louise", "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace".
For the inside-joke fan, watch for references of Dawn French and windows or panes of glass.

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Ab Fab creators Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders star in this highlights program of the best skits and spoofs from their fourth season. Includes send-ups of Alien, Misery, Silence of the Lambs, stuffy costume dramas, and of course the royals.

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The Carry On Collection (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)This of course--as any self-respecting Carry On fan will tell you--is Charles Hawtrey's catch-phrase. This box set is only half the story, and hopefully there will be another box coming, with more of these British comedy gems. In the mean time, we have this set of Carry On movies from the late 50s and early 60s to enjoy over and over.
Critics hated these films--the rest of us were too busy laughing at the antics, risque jokes and awful puns to care. As the films were made, various actors came and went--but the key members of the Carry On Gang were--Sidney James ( the owner of the dirtiest laugh in the history of cinema ), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques and , if this were not enough, plenty of other British comedic actors to keep the laughs coming like Bernard Bresslaw, Jim Dale, Leslie Phillips, Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth, Jack Douglas, Frankie Howerd and on and on. Beautiful women like Shirley Eaton, Liz Fraser and Amanda Barrie were major "pluses" too.
Like any series of films, some were better than others, and fans do not always agree on their favourites. In this package, "Carry On Nurse" is not only a classic, but it really put the series on track because it was a huge hit in many countries. I find "Carry On Constable" to be one of the best with Kenneth Williams and Leslie Phillips both terrific--it also introduces Sid James, who would soon become "Mr.Carry On", although he is rather subdued in this first outing. Even without Sid, "Carry On Screaming" is a winner, with Harry H. Corbett fine in the lead, and Kenneth Williams quite surreal as the "Mad Doctor". "Carry On Cleo" is good fun--by this time, Sid had his "King Leer" act down to perfection.
"That's Carry On" is a nice nostalgic visit to the whole series, hosted by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor, also giving the viewer a taste of some of the films not included in this collection.
Sadly, many members of the Carry On Gang are no longer with us--
Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims have all passed on. The delightful Barbara Windsor continues to work steadily on British television.
When we went to see the first Harry Potter movie and reached the "Sorting Hat scene"' I nudged my wife--the "voice" of the hat--I would know that voice anywhere--Leslie Phillips ! Speaking of Harry Potter, I see that the audio version of the new book--"The Order of the Phoenix"--is narrated by Jim Dale ! So, happily, some of the Carry On alumni are still "Carrying On " !
Bottom line--most people either love or hate the "Carry On Gang".
If you hate them, you are probably not even reading this ! So--if you love these films, this package is like the "Old Testament", and you should order it immediately. Let's hope that the "New Testament" is coming soon !

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A Private Function (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a surprise that this perfect gem is not better known...such a loss. Britain during the early fifties had much to look forward to and much still to do. Everything was still rationed just as in the war years principally because the treasury was sacked to pay for the arms and munitions needed to fight it. The Empire (or what was left of it) was broke too and most that had not already done so went the autonomous route now, taking revenue away from London...though all quite peaceably and with everyone's best wishes. It would be ten years after the war ended (that makes roughly fourteen in all) until rationing would end for these isles, celebrated with the fantastic Festival of Britain in 1955, and people could at last look forward into a new Elizabethan age, rather than back on that darkness. My god Britain paid for that war in every way possible...really. What a period then to set a comedy I suppose...except that this particular story required those lean and austere times for the telling of it. Fresh meat you see...gammon, bacon, joints roasted and slavered with apple sauce...mouth watering! Imagine then the lengths you might go to for some of that after, let's say, eleven years of powdered egg.
Michael Palin as the hen pecked chiropodist, Maggie Smith as the social climbing hen, Liz Smith as the batty scatty mother-in law who'll stuff virtually anything and everything in her gannet gob, Denholm Eliot (as the doctor) who refuses to be impressed and so must be made so...along with everyone else in town who matters....I have never laughed so much. They are all that generation who would have been children (more or less) in this time period and all say how they never felt they went without....how they enjoyed their childhood's and wish it could be the same always...when you watch this you can see their point. This film and everyone's performance in it is superb. Please...for your good health and for your better and more cheerful disposition...buy this movie.

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Michael Palin (A Fish Called Wanda) teams with OscarÂ(r) winner* Maggie Smith (Gosford Park) in this uproarious comedy in which 'the laughs come fast(Variety) and the upper class becomes furious! Co-starring Denholm Elliott, Pete Postlethwaite and one divine swine, this hilarious comedy isalive and unruly, [and] the humor keeps boiling up(Pauline Kael, The New Yorker)!Life isn't easy in 1947 Yorkshire, where strict post-war rationing is putting the squeeze on the townspeople. But when a married working-class couple (Palin and Smith) discovers that the town's wealthy elite has been secretly fattening up anillegalpig for their own selfish gluttony, they hatch an outlandish kidnapping scheme that gives new meaning to the phrasebringing home the bacon ! *1969: Actress, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; 1978: Supporting Actress, California Suite

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