Over the years many characters from TV and radio shows have made the leap to the big screen. Not all have been successful but then there is Alan Partridge.
While I am a big fan of Steve Coogan, I must admit that I have not seen very much of one of his most famous characters Alan Partridge. I have seen some clips and episodes of his TV series but for some reason I have not had a very devoted following. But I still really wanted to see this film. I must say I was really impressed with what I saw. Some characters from TV shows have trouble being on the big screen because they still have many of the qualities from the small screen which just don't work on a big one. Thankfully Alan Partridge is a big enough character for the cinema screen. Normally egocentric characters like this do not interest me but Alan is just so incredibly funny and comes out with so many witty one-liners that I was instantly charmed by him. Also part of the problem can be the plot. A hostage situation at a radio station does not automatically come across as big screen material but in the hand of this team of writers it is comedy gold. It was about 8 years ago that I stopped listening to the radio. Before that I would only listen to a comedy show by a comedian I admire named Tony Martin. One of the joys of his show was his constant battles with management over his shows content. Not so much the humour but the fact that they wanted more music and less talk. So when some of these issues came up in this film I was some what amused by the satire but also saddened to see that nothing seems to have changed. Music also plays a big part in the film and to great comedic effect. Aussies will be pleased to see 'Your The Voice' by John Farnham used brilliantly in one hilarious sequence.
I probably do not need to tell you how great Steve Coogan is in this film. The man has such impeccable comedic timing that just about everything he says is hilarious. Even some of the more cruder jokes and situations are handled brilliantly. Alan is a character which Steve has been playing for so long that he has refined him to perfection. Also excellent is Colm Meany as the hostage taker. While Colm is mostly the straight man to Steve's more outrageous antics he still gets some very funny moments. The biggest delight though is Felicity Montagu as Alan's assistant. Alan may not treat her very well but you can't help but laugh at her.
You do not have to be familiar or even know who Alan Partidge is to get a good laugh out of this film. Just pure joy from start to finish.
**SPOILER ALERT** The new Star Trek film featured the return of one of the series most beloved villains. I decided to check out where that love came from.
While I am a big Star Trek fan, I did not become a fan until they started screening The Next Generation series. So I was not overly familiar with the Original series. I eventually did see a few episodes and all the films. I may get criticism for this but I did not enjoy them as much as The Next Generation.
The most successful of the Star Trek film series and widely considered to be the best is the fourth film 'The Voyage Home'. But a close second is the second film 'The Wrath Of Khan'. I think part of the reason for it's acclaim is that they had a great villain in Khan to give the story focus and drive. The first film 'The Motion Picture', was more existential and more like '2001: A Space Odyssey'. While successful it was not all that highly regarded. I think they went with a wise option of having a villain to give the story more action. As someone who is not much of a fan of this series I did quite like the film. It may not have as much action as some of its contemporaries (like 'Star Wars) but it still has a thrilling story with an interesting and philosophical theme.
William Shatner is probably not the greatest actor around but he has become so immortalized with the character of Captain James T. Kirk that it was hard to see anyone else play the role. The plot for this film has a more personal touch for Kirk so Shatner gets to show a more emotional side of which he does an excellent job. Also excellent is his second in command and side kick Leonard Nemoy as Spock. The moment they have at the end of the film perfectly captures the emotion of their relationship and both men are brilliant. The rest of the Enterprise crew do a good job in their small but serviceable roles. Bibi Besch and Merrit Butrick are also good as people close to Kirk. The real star though is the always impressive Ricardo Montalban. His character does come across as a bit theatrical but Ricardo makes him very fearsome and very memorable.
I agree that it is one of the best of the Original series feature films. I'm still a fan of later series and movies and these films always look more impressive on the big screen.
Not all films based on comic books are about comic book action heroes. We can get more realistic stories.
While there is a certain amount of realism to the story in that there are no fantasy elements. The plot for the film is pretty outrageous. And that is a good thing. There are certain conventions the film observes but it is done in a very light hearted way which borders on the silly at times. But that's a good thing. The film is really a lot of fun and does not seem to be taking itself too seriously. Many action films these days seem determined to be so serious and earnest that they forget to let themselves go and just have fun.
Mark Wahlberg is playing pretty much the same character he does in all his films which is the loveable rogue. Some may find this a bit tedious but I haven't got there yet and found him to be fun. The best thing about the film is Denzel Washington. I've not been one of his biggest fans and part of the reason for that is that he plays lots of serious roles. While this is not the outrageous comedy I was hoping for it is more light hearted than many of his other films. Together they make quite a good duo.
It's no where near the greatest film ever but is quite an enjoyable action film.
