Capo
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Extras
Dec 28, 2006 13:31:26 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 28, 2006 13:31:26 GMT
I've just watched the DVD of the entire first series (six episodes, and all the bonus featurettes).
A TV show by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (of The Office), which concentrates on the supporting actor, specifically Andy Millman (Gervais) as he tries to get a line in a film...any film.
This is incredible. It shows an extension and leap forward from The Office. Self-reflexive, intertextual, deeply perceptive of people's relationships, and a clever deconstruction of the myths surrounding stardom...and possibly critique of the filmmaking business.
I cannot recommend it enough.
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Omar
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Dec 28, 2006 15:10:41 GMT
Post by Omar on Dec 28, 2006 15:10:41 GMT
A friend of my father told me all about this show. It sounds hilarious. I really want to see it.
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Capo
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Dec 28, 2006 15:32:29 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 28, 2006 15:32:29 GMT
Did you ever get round to putting The Singing Detective on your Netflix list, Omar?
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Omar
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Dec 28, 2006 15:57:28 GMT
Post by Omar on Dec 28, 2006 15:57:28 GMT
Did you ever get round to putting The Singing Detective on your Netflix list, Omar? Every few months I dramatically rearrange my Netflix queue. I feel that time is coming again soon. It was on there at one time, but it isn't anymore. I'll add it again. The problem with me and Netflix is, I get a good flow with it for awhile, but before too long, my queue is enormous, and I start to wonder when, if ever, I'll be able to watch all the films. I have a mini nervous breakdown, and then start all over again. In another words, I have no excuse.
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Capo
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Dec 28, 2006 16:05:28 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 28, 2006 16:05:28 GMT
I have a 30 day free trial at LOVEFiLM, which is essentially the same kind of thing. I doubt I'll be able to see all of the films on my wishlist before my trial is up (and I've been buying films recently again, too), but right now I have about seven films on my "high priority" list, and another twenty-odd on moderate.
The best way to go about it I think is to concentrate on a director at a time, which you were doing a bit back.
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Capo
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Apr 1, 2007 23:52:22 GMT
Post by Capo on Apr 1, 2007 23:52:22 GMT
I noticed Wet Dog watched the Gervais stand-ups last month. You seen this show...?
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RNL
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Apr 1, 2007 23:55:23 GMT
Post by RNL on Apr 1, 2007 23:55:23 GMT
No, I just started downloading it. Curb Your Enthusiasm, too.
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Capo
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Dec 20, 2007 21:12:04 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 20, 2007 21:12:04 GMT
Well, there's a feature-length Extras Christmas special, which I believe - like The Office - will be the last. It's on the 27th of this month, and I can't facking wait!
Also looking forward to Gervais's new stand-up, Fame. It got mixed reviews - mostly neagative, to be honest - but just reading them I feel he's being misunderstood. A common criticism seems to be that fame has indeed gone to his head, that he takes his comedy now for granted - I think that's the entire point, or at least it seems to be. At any rate, I'll be watching it; been plugging hints for a Christmas purchase, but have also been hinting (more) for The Sopranos 6b and Curb Your Enthusiasm 3-5.
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RNL
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Dec 20, 2007 21:24:05 GMT
Post by RNL on Dec 20, 2007 21:24:05 GMT
I have it 76.3% downloaded.
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Capo
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Dec 21, 2007 0:07:50 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 21, 2007 0:07:50 GMT
(In response to a deleted post):
Really? That's, well, weird. Though I understand HBO has something to do with its production.
I was watching The Paul O'Grady Show this evening and he had David Walliams (from Little Britain) guesting. What an unfunny man. I can't believe people even compare Gervais's stuff to Walliams and Lucas's.
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Capo
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Dec 21, 2007 19:24:32 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 21, 2007 19:24:32 GMT
I have it 76.3% downloaded. The Christmas special, or Fame? I didn't know you'd caught up with this show yet. Your thoughts? (I haven't come back to this thread since watching season two either, as it happens. Opinion: season 2 > season 1.)
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Capo
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Dec 21, 2007 20:07:00 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 21, 2007 20:07:00 GMT
(In response to a deleted post):
Yeah, Merchant plays his role well (an irritating wanker), but he gains much from Gervais's interaction. Barry has his moments, but on the whole, I won't disagree much with you on that point.
I liked the sitcom-within-a-sitcom in season two; it provides Gervais with the chance to get digs in at what's wrong with so much British comedy, eg. it's his personal baby which he thinks is really funny, but it's distorted by producers into a tagline-happy catchphrase fest (though, ironically, it becomes more popular because of that). A dig at the likes of Little Britain? I'd like to think so, yeah.
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RNL
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Dec 21, 2007 21:43:57 GMT
Post by RNL on Dec 21, 2007 21:43:57 GMT
I have it 76.3% downloaded. The Christmas special, or Fame? The Christmas special. I think season 1 is much, much better than season 2. I enjoyed Andy as a downtrodden, frustrated but generally likable guy, and I admired the unselfish writing of Gervais (after the near one-man show that was The Office), giving nearly all the best material to his costars (a la Jerry Seinfeld). The second season disappointed me, because he's back hogging the spotlight, and nothing is done with the meta-sitcom that wasn't done (and done better) in season 4 of Seinfeld. That's not to say it's not hilarious, but I loved the first season and liked the second.
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Capo
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Dec 21, 2007 21:45:45 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 21, 2007 21:45:45 GMT
Well, Gervais can hog the spotlight until I tire of him, but thus far I haven't; I loved The Office too because of him.
Back on to the Extras Christmas special: while I would hope it has the same balance between hilarity and poignancy that its Office counterpart offered, I hope it doesn't merely tread over old ground (i.e. Andy and Maggie getting together like Tim and Dawn). Don't think it will though, if only for the simple reason those characters don't have a sexual chemistry like Tim and Dawn did - at least not an obvious one, anyway.
Note to self: Watch Seinfeld.
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RNL
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Dec 21, 2007 22:05:57 GMT
Post by RNL on Dec 21, 2007 22:05:57 GMT
Start from the beginning when you do. So much of the stuff in seasons 6-9 is exclusive in-jokes for the benefit of people who've been watching since the start; call-backs to minor jokes from years ago.
And, back to Extras: I also very much enjoyed the unusual outsider perspective on the film industry we're granted in the first season. The show's title doesn't really fit the second season.
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RNL
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Dec 21, 2007 22:07:12 GMT
Post by RNL on Dec 21, 2007 22:07:12 GMT
I know what happens. I read the synopsis of it on Wikipedia. I don't know why.
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Capo
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Dec 21, 2007 22:19:08 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 21, 2007 22:19:08 GMT
And, back to Extras: I also very much enjoyed the unusual outsider perspective on the film industry we're granted in the first season. The show's title doesn't really fit the second season. Definitely; my enthusiasm for it (evident in the first post of this thread) hasn't waned a bit. Perhaps I find season two funnier simply because of Gervais's increased screentime (though I haven't really considered him less peripheral in season two until now; he's always been central to me). Out of curiosity, which of his stand-ups did you prefer, Animals or Politics? I generally can't get away with stand-ups, but those two have me in stitches. Never has a Humpty Dumpty story made me laugh as much.
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RNL
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Dec 21, 2007 22:37:47 GMT
Post by RNL on Dec 21, 2007 22:37:47 GMT
I think I preferred "Animals". I mix them up, though.
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Capo
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Dec 28, 2007 13:37:50 GMT
Post by Capo on Dec 28, 2007 13:37:50 GMT
And, back to Extras: I also very much enjoyed the unusual outsider perspective on the film industry we're granted in the first season. The show's title doesn't really fit the second season. I meant to disagree with this when you first wrote it. I think season two strikes a good balance between showing what happens when someone finally does make it, and the ongoing strife of those now below him (as in Maggie). It's taken to an even further degree in the Christmas special when an extra approaches Andy for a speaking role, and is subsequently (as per Andy's orders) sacked. I watched the special last night. Definitely had its problems, but it was still hilarious, and surprisingly bitter and scornful, too (until the end); loved the digs at Catherine Taitt, and the Celebrity Big Brother segment was brilliant. ("You know what I look forward to these days?... Death.") I felt the ending was tame, though, and quite ironic - Jensen's surely off to fly back for Ugly Betty, and Gervais is everything now in terms of fame which Andy Millman isn't. It could have been somewhat more complex than the would-be uplifting "Fuck it" it does end on. It was very effective at times, though; Gervais has said in interviews Extras has always been about friendship, and so it's probably telling how moved I was by Andy's speech while on Big Brother - if Gervais and Merchant tackle a straight drama next, like they've said, that scene couldn't be any more proof that Gervais certainly has the acting weight to match. And Jensen's always been the most impressive on the show, anyway, and is already onto bigger things (though I'm not a fan of Ugly Betty). One thing I loved about The Office is that it never tried to outdo itself; it stayed on the same level and ended just at the right time. It was hilarious and cringe-worthy but still naturalistic enough for the mockumentary to work. And while Extras isn't a mockumentary, some of its situations and characters don't quite ring true the further it develops (Darren and Barry becoming the sort of sketch show that the show itself criticises). Who directed the show, by the way? I don't ever recall any episodes being directed by Gervais or Merchant (though I could easily be wrong), but here both take the realm as writer-directors. I'm not sure how the partnership works, but Merchant's character was surprisingly shunned later on - I wasn't complaining, caricature that he'd become by that point, but even so, there was potential there for some effective moments between he and Millman, who by that point have fallen out. The expansion of The Office into longer Christmas specials worked because it was simply an elongated "catch-up" which you might find on the likes of Airline. This is where I felt the Extras follow-up wasn't as effective: Gervais and Merchant struggled to expand it into what is effectively a feature film for TV, and the dramatic narrative didn't adapt well from lengthy serialisation to a condensed single sitting. In short: the frequent relying on montage sequences to pass time narked me somewhat - I don't know if it has suffered at some point from severe cuts in editing. It was still brilliant, though. Thoughts, wetdog?
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RNL
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Aug 11, 2008 2:52:04 GMT
Post by RNL on Aug 11, 2008 2:52:04 GMT
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