Christmas TV

I've not written here for longer than I would have liked, and there has been so much TV since! Christmas nowadays obviously means TV specials and if I was more cynical I'd say this spoils the fun of the holiday... But I'm not and I have Sky+ so I can spend Christmas day with my family and then the next few days catching up!

I shan't bore you with a whole post for each show I watched over the holiday season, I'm just going to comment on a few of the mains ones instead.

Michael McIntyre's Christmas thing

I actually really enjoyed this. I feel like Michael McIntyre has been around for years now but it's surprising how much new material he can come up with.. I suppose it is his job. To be fair I'm a bit rubbish about comedy and I would have preferred it was just an hour or however long of just Michael McIntyre, but he did manage to get some really good (I say good because they're pretty famous rather than because I like them that much) guests like Jack Dee, Rhod Gilbert and some other people I can't remember. Miranda was on, usually I loathe this woman, I think she is so annoying and just makes me want to run away and become a man so I don't have to share a gender with her, but she did a little skit thing with Smithy from Gavin and Stacey and it was actually bearable. It's great that Michael McIntyre's still doing TV like this, I thought once he'd been a judge on Britain's Got Talent he wouldn't do much more stand up, but I read an interview he'd done and he said that he intends to continue, which I think is great. I know a lot of people find him really annoying but I think that's one of his charms, especially when he bobs about and his flops around comically. So yeah, loads of laugh out loud moments, lots of great guests if you like lots of different people, good show! Oh apart from Pixie Lott.. Is it just me or did anyone think she kept missing her cues and was out of tune?

Agatha Christie's Poirot

This I enjoyed again, Poirot isn't something I've ever really sat down and watched, rather it's been on while I flitted in and out, so this was new for me. As usual whenever I watch a murder mystery, I spent the first half totally confused (and this was a confusing one with loads of outside references and an extra plot line going on) and the second half trying to guess whodunnit (and I was actually right with this one!) The actual story of the murder was good, if predictable as you kind of know by now how these kind of things are written, and you can spot who's going to get bumped off a mile off. Nevertheless there were some clever bits, and as I said there was an extra plot line going on to do with Germany and Hitler and the War that was thrown in there to confuse you a bit. My favourite part of this show though is by far the little tottery walk that Poirot does, and the way he talks half in Belgian and half in English.

Endeavour

This was the Morse prequel, sort of like Morse's first case. I've never actually watched Morse, only the sequel to it (weirdly), so I can't really compare it, but then I don't think comparing it to the Morse series was really the idea. Again, I think the plot was fairly predictable; there was a bit of romance, some brooding and moping around and a young Morse briefly being kicked off the case for so-called bad behaviour. Of course, in the end (and after a few false starts), it's Morse who cleverly works out who did it (which I guessed correctly again by the way!), and collects the baddie to take them to prison. Like with Poirot, it was quite a complicated story with an extra bit to it, and some bent coppers thrown into the mix as well. I'm sure there were probably links to the Morse series we all know, but as I haven't seen it I wouldn't know! The only thing that bothered me about this was the guy who played Morse kept doing something funny with his hand, like over-gesturing or over pointing at people.... I'm sure I am the only person that ever notices stuff like this.

Outnumbered

Usually I love Outnumbered but this was actually pretty forgettable I think, especially after the end of the last series. So it's Christmas day and the family are going on holiday and 15 year old Jake has a hangover... 15, really?! They start them young these days apparently! I could be wrong actually, maybe he's 16, that would make it slightly better. I think Outnumbered has lost something as the kids have got older; they're actually acting now rather than sort of messing about like they did when they were younger. As I said, this episode was pretty forgettable, so much so that I can't think of anything else to write about it!



 I'm sure I've probably missed out an amazing bit of Christmas TV and I'll have to do another post on this but I'm lacking the brain power to think about it right now and this post is long enough already, so there you, Christmas TV!

Arrested Development

I seem to have become slightly addicted to this blogging lark already, hence the amount of posts I have written already! But oh well, this time I am rambling about Arrested Development.

Arrested Development aired between 2003 and 2006 and ran for three seasons (though for some reason the last season was cut down to 13 episodes). I know it's old, but I was recently introduced to this show by my good friend Joe who has so much American comedy on his computer that it needs its own hard drive! Jason Bateman stars in the series (there's a picture below, for some reason whenever I say Jason Bateman to people, no-one knows who he is despite me thinking he is really famous... Maybe I just happen to watch a lot of movies that he is in!), along with Michael Cera (guy from Juno, Scott Pilgrim, some others I can't remember..) and a lot of other really good people who aren't really that well known as far as I can tell.

I know it is far from current but Arrested Development is a pretty recent discovery for me and it is one of the best comedies that I have ever seen. It takes a while to get going, with the first season starting slowly while the relationships between the characters are put into place. It is definitely worth perservering through the warm up episodes because as the second season kicks off, it all comes together. I don't know if it because the actors have got to know their characters and one another, or whether the audience need some time to get to know the family, but the second season feels much more together and is much funnier than the previous one.

The comedy in Arrested Development takes many forms. There is obvious stuff and obvious jokes as well as subtle jokes that run underneath the main dialogue and sometimes take a while to pick out (is it just me or are those the most satisfying though? Whenever I 'get' a hidden joke, I always feel really proud of myself). Some jokes refer back to earlier moments in the show and some run pretty consistently throughout, so it really is a series to watch from the beginning if you want to get the most out of it. There are some brilliant characters including a lawyer played by Henry Winkler (the Fonz from Happy Days) and a guy called Bob Loblaw (whose name sounds like Bla Bla Bla... lots of jokes about that..). The other great thing is that there is never any seriousness to this show. I hate it when you turn on a comedy wanting to be cheered up and then it hits you with a serious theme or message or something. Not with Arrested Development. It is all about the laughs and sometimes self depricating characters. I can't describe how good I think this show is, watch it and you will see!

Chicken dance montage: this is a running joke through the whole show and makes some of funniest moments.

The great thing about this show, in my opinion, is the mix of story line and comedy. There are moments when you just have to watch the next episode to find out what is going on, while at the same time there is loads of funny stuff slipped in. The story gets really interesting in the third seasons, and the season finale answers all the questions and ties up all the loose ends that have come up throughout the show., with lots of *gasp* moments. Unfortunately the ending does feel a little rushed, which is probably due to the show being cancelled and having to fit everything in to the last couple of episodes. It is still a brilliant show finale though.

The best thing about Arrested Development? It's coming back! It has been confirmed that there will be a mini-series of about 10 episodes to proceed an Arrested Development film, both are said to coming out in the next couple of years. So I guess it is kind of current.....

Jamie's Christmas with Bells On

So let's kick off with something seasonal and festive, Jamie Oliver's latest Christmas cook show. It was shown for the first time last night (14th December) on Channel 4 and features loads of recipes to make on Christmas Eve, so you get ahead and are ready for Christmas the next day!

Trailer for Jamie's Christmas with Bells On

I love all cookery shows like this, especially the Christmas themed ones. I wasn't even feeling particularly festive when I put it on, but within 5 minutes I was excitedly looking up recipes and planning to make them for Christmas. There are some great recipes in this show too; my favourite is Griddle Pan Waffles and Epic Hot Chocolate, literally mouth-watering and they look so easy! Some of the recipes were a bit beyond me though and seemed like they needed rather a lot of preparation which, unless you are actually Jamie Oliver and could do it in the recommended time of a morning, would take about 3 days (ok, an exaggeration, but you know what I mean).

Nom nom nom

As well as all the yummy looking food, there was the typical Jamie Oliver banter with his Italian mentor Gennaro, Jamie's family getting involved and just general Jamie Oliver being a bit of an idiot in a funny, lovable sort of way. I wanted to find clips of some of the funny moments to put in, but it seems no-one has uploaded any so you'll just have to watch the show if you want to see them! To sum up, there's a nice shot of Jamie getting into his 'Christmas groove' whilst blending up some stuffing, as well as Gennaro dressed up as a giant Christmas turkey complete with a little turkey dance and Jamie playing practical jokes on him. Jamie's mum, wife and (I assume) daughters all make appearances too to add to the family feel of this Christmas special.

The only criticism I have of this programme is the awkwardness that is felt when certain people are 'helping out' on camera. For example, when Jamie's wife Jools comes in with their baby daughter to help out, she doesn't seem very comfortable or happy, and she certainly doesn't match her husband's cheery and jokey personality. To be fair though, she's only on for about two minutes, so I wouldn't let it spoil what I would call a brilliant, entertaining and yummy Christmas special!

This programme has it all as far as I'm concerned. There are great, helpful recipes, Christmas jumpers galore, comedy moments and a generally lovely festive feeling surrounding the whole show!

First TV Chatterings

I've attempted to blog several times before and usually I write a couple of eager posts and then get fed up, leaving a trail of half-hearted attempts across the internet (at this point, who's to say it won't happen again with this blog? Hopefully not...) So, I've decided if I really want to keep myself, let alone anyone else, interested I need to write about something I enjoy doing and am interested in, and sad as it may sound, TV and films tick this box rather nicely! 

I'm aiming not to really review programmes, but more to comment on them really. It will probably seem like I'm pretty one-sided; there really aren't going to be many heavily negative comments, cos who watches a TV shows that they think is rubbish for more than about 15 minutes before flicking over to a Friends re-run or the Simpsons or something? There will be some current stuff, but as a university student who relies on iPlayer, 4od and the like, as well as re-runs and new discoveries of old American comedies, there may be a few blasts from the past too!