Tag Archives: Comedy

Downton Abbey Star: Its Harder For Working Class Actors

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Downton Abbey star Rob James-Collier has said that it is harder for working class actors to make it as they don’t have the “comfort blanket” of wealth. The actor, who plays Thomas the footman in the hit period drama, said the early years of acting are like any other profession with the middle-class and privileged the only ones who can afford to work for free.

 

He said:

“You have to work for a year with no money. How on earth are you going to finance that?” he asked and said he had found it hard to make it as a “working class lad”.

The acting industry is full of Oxbridge graduates and people who went to Public School. These include Thandie Newton, Alexander Armstrong, David Mitchell, Olivia Williams, Sophie Winkleman, Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hardy, Dominic West, Henry Cavill, Freddie Fox, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sophie Okonedo, Colin Firth, Helen Bonham-Carter, James Purefoy, Tom Hiddleston and Damien Lewis to name a few.

James-Collier, was raised in Stockport and he told the Radio Times that the acting industry favours the wealthy. He worked in manual labour jobs to fund his acting dream.

“Because you’ve done the horrible jobs it gives you an even grittier determination to succeed,” he said.

“If I had a comfort blanket, I wouldn’t have been as passionate and driven. When you get there, you really do appreciate it because you know where you have been.”

He also said that his mother had been supportive and that his father had allowed him to try his luck.

Join the debate, do you think working class actors have it worse? Do you think the acting industry favours the rich? Have your say.

The Hunt For Prince Harry

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Channel 4 film follows ‘Harry Hunters’.

Since the marriage between Kate Middleton and Prince William, Prince Harry has been thrust into the spotlight as the most eligible bachelor in Britain. Third in line to the throne, the remaining handsome Prince has become an object of desire for girls across the globe. A brand new Channel 4 documentary, First Cut: The Harry Hunters is set to follow five girls who are determined in their quest to snag their very own Prince Charming.

The film follows 21-year old American friends Cassie and Whitney who grew up in rural Iowa, watching Disney movies and dreaming they would one day marry Prince Harry. They know that to achieve your dreams you have to be prepared to go the distance. Cassie and Whitney have done their research and have a plan – to hit his favourite haunts – from Polo clubs to exclusive Mayfair nightspots.

However, they have strong competition from the ‘queens’ of the social network in East London. School friends Joy and Jade know Prince Harry’s whereabouts at any time, day or night. Twitter is their medium of choice – whether Harry’s partying in Croatia or flying Apache helicopters, they will know within seconds. 16-year old Joy even has an engagement ring for the Prince when the right moment comes to propose.

And finally 14-year-old Flora who hangs out in Chelsea, London and avidly reads the newspapers to know what Prince Harry is up to each week. However, she is determined to impress her teenage heart-throb by working hard at school in her hopes to become an intelligent Princess.

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Aysha Rafael says: “The Harry Hunters shares the romantic age-old dreams held by thousands of young girls around the world. They fantasise of fairy tale dresses, extravagant royal weddings and for that special day when they finally meet their Prince Charming.”

First Cut: The Harry Hunters is directed by first time producer and director, Emily Hughes and is executive produced by Emily Renshaw-Smith and Peter Dale.

First Cut is a collection of original and bold documentary films by up and coming first time directors and part of Channel 4’s continuous commitment to nurturing new and diverse talent. It first launched in 2007 and now in its sixth year and is commissioned by Aysha Rafaele.

Londoners Life 23 – by Phil Ryan

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Yes the cold snap is starting to hit London. Weather forecasts predict us being hit with snow flurries very soon. And we all know what London does when 2 centimetres of snow arrives! And just as we were coming to terms with the white death we then then got more scares over an oil depot going into receivership. Now we get stories about also being hit with petrol prices in London shooting up to £2.00 a litre and all of us freezing in our cars as we ran out of fuel in sub-zero temperatures on the M40. (Although I suspect they are just softening us up as they’ll get to that petrol price level within 6 months at this rate anyway regardless of oil depots closing – not including death on the M40) And for the first time ever I briefly toyed with the idea of one of those electric cars as I am noticing more of those blue charging posts as I whiz around town in my gas guzzler. But to be honest when all is said and done they are just old fashioned milk floats with a bit more comfort and zero style. I mean have you seen those G-whiz things. Is it me but does everyone who drives them look huge and somehow ghoulish – little eyes screwed in concentration as they avoid trying to hit a pigeon or a crisp packet which would probably spell instant death for them and anyone stupid enough to be their passenger. They look like damaged egg cartons with comedy tiny wheels where a human has been forced inside like some novelty act from Cirque du Soleil. And you can feel the smug waves coming off them from a hundred feet away. Look at me I’m saving the planet. But to balance it out they all look very weird and devoid of cool and have the tensile strength of a bowl of porridge. And yes I know the new Renault ones look a lot more cool – but still drive a Renault? However London of course is now leading the way with more and more electric vehicles now being put onto our streets to silently mow down children, the elderly and the slow moving. Many London Councils are rolling them out as Council vans and maintenance cars. Quiet death from your local service provider. Perhaps they’re thinning out the vulnerable in a bizarre cost cutting drive nothing would surprise me where local Councils are concerned. (I think Westminster have introduced recently culling of the poor haven’t they?) But the march of the electric car moves forwards. Green yes but you can’t hear them coming!!!! If I had my way I’d fit them all with a loud clockwork toy noise. That’d brighten up your day wouldn’t it?
One observation I’ll make is about the various foreign embassies we have across London. Some of them are in the weirdest of places. For instance Tonga’s embassy is in a residential street off the Hendon Way – how very glamorous. But others have very swish addresses in Knightsbridge and the West End. But my main thought is the amount of protests outside half of them. Concerned citizens of each country seem to now gather on a weekly basis to shout at those inside. I’m not sure the rulers of the various countries are paying much interest and my guess is they’re not actually in the building. The Ambassadors are probably somewhere else too – you know getting piles of Ferrero Roche at some fancy black tie function. So in effect the protesters are shouting at a bunch of secretaries and cleaners. But I realise they have to show these repressive governments that in London at least free speech is fine and dandy. Good luck I say. Although I do get a bit miffed when the protestors attack the poor police folk who turn up trying to keep the peace. I’m not sure it’s sending a signal to Syria to stop killing their own people by punching Constable Smith sharply on the nose. But when they protest here we’ll protect them which of course is right and proper. But then sometimes they shout about the fact that we in Britain shouldn’t let their bad governments stay in power while often shouting anti-western slogans. All very confusing I fear.
Now a new bugbear with me in 2012 is London Theatre ticket prices. They seem to be heading skywards and I’m not sure it’s healthy for good theatre. I realise that with rising rents and costs these shows are costly but come on. Half the theatres are up to £85 for a seat you can actually see the stage from and don’t even get me started on the cost of drinks and snacks. Just like cinemas and service stations it seems that theatres are now operating an ‘alternative universe’ policy. Whereby the costs of normal things are inflated to such an extent that people hand over the cash whilst still in a state of shock. On what world is a bag of Maltesers £5.00 and a glass of wine £9.50! I’d take all the impresarios knighthoods back just like they did to Mr Fred Goodwin. So Mr Macintosh and Mr Lloyd Weber tell me when is it reasonable to pay £5.00 for two mouthfuls of ice cream and £10.00 for a programme? A paperback novel costs less and has had a damn sight more creative energy poured into it. If you honestly want kids and anyone on a low income to embrace the theatre stop being so damn greedy. I originally thought that Wicked and Les Miserables were show titles not descriptions of how the pricing policy works and makes the audience feel.
Finally more rip off nonsense from The Olympic legacy Company. It seems that us Londoners have paid £93 billion pounds to give away land, housing and stadiums to a host of private companies who will charge us through the nose to either visit or use facilities we’ve already paid for! I think every scrap of Olympic housing stock should be turned over to Social Housing – after all it was paid for by the public. And the stadiums should be free to Londoners who paid for them whether they wanted to or not. And look out for the ridiculous concept of Stratford International Station whose train station doesn’t even connect to Europe directly! Instead you have to slope off back to St Pancras. Shouldn’t they just re-name it Stratford Local or something? But when you ask the locals they just shrug and smile about the whole fiasco. Do they care? No. It’s a London thing.

 

Covert Affairs Season Two Review

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Really. Mondays, 9pm

Covert Affairs is the show that fills in the Alias shapped holes in  spy fans lives. A well written CIA drama with an attractive young women at the helm.
Piper Perabo is an incredibly talented actress, making Annie Walker both vulnerable and capable. I’m a fan of this American spy drama. It’s American entertainment at it’s best. Walker reminds me of the Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire quote; “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels”. Walker is a women in a man’s world kicking ass and taking names. A great thing to see.

 

Golden Globe nominee Piper Perabo returns for another brand new and exclusive series of the hit US spy show.

Annie Walker (Perabo) is a smart, stunning and very recent CIA field operative in one of the organisation’s most secretive branches, the Domestic Protection Agency. Dressing up in weird and wonderful disguises to infiltrate the bad guys? Check. Running and shooting in six-inch heels? No problem. No matter how hotshot she becomes, not being able to sort out her own love life? Sigh.

There was high drama at the end of the last series – Annie’s ex Ben, the man who disappeared after a holiday romance in Sri Lanka, walked into CIA headquarters and gave himself up, confessing that he was a rogue agent. Sent with Annie back to Sri Lanka to prove he’s one of the good guys and crack an arms dealing ring, we last saw the reunited love birds on a helicopter zooming out of the country, Ben laying in Annie’s arms.

Series two starts much as series one did. Just as Annie thinks that there might be a future for her and Ben, he buggers off again. Men! But there’s no time to think – Annie is assigned to protect an Estonian tennis player who is considered a CIA asset.

Starring Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, The O.C.’s Peter Gallagher, Lost’s Sendhil Ramamurthy and 24’s Kari Matchett.

 

Golden Globes 2011. George Clooney and Meryl Streep Win.

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Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes for the second time, despite his controversial first effort.

However, the Los Angeles Times  says this time Gervais was “surprisingly subdued”. In 2011, Gervais shocked with comments about the Hollywood elite. It lead the Hollywood A-lister to comment on the jokes being “mean-spirited and mildly sinister”.

Gervais said the Globes were to the Oscars what US reality TV star Kim Kardashian was to Kate Middleton – “a bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker and more easily bought, allegedly”.

The Los Angeles Times noted that the British fared well.

Downton Abbey won best TV mini-series and Kate Winslet won for lead actress in a TV mini-series or movie, for Mildred Pierce.

They also said: “When Idris Elba took to the stage to accept the award for lead actor in a miniseries for Luther, one did begin to wonder how many Brits it takes to screw in a Golden Globe.”

 

Meryl Streep also swore in her acceptance speech and looked shocked when she won. A full list of winners is below.

 

MOTION PICTURES
– Picture, Drama: “The Descendants.”
– Picture, Musical or Comedy: “The Artist.”
– Actor, Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants.”
– Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady.”
– Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”
– Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist.”
– Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”
– Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”
– Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”
– Foreign Language: “A Separation.”
– Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”
– Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”
– Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”
– Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION
– Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.
– Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.
– Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”
– Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”
– Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”
– Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”
– Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.
– Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”
– Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”
– Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”
– Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman.

Photo: Capital M.

The Sitter Film Review

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I love Johan Hill. It doesn’t really matter what he is saying, but the way he says it. I think he is a comedic genius. He very much deserves this lead role.

 

Hill plays a lovable loser. He is in love with a girl who uses him, and still lives at home with his mum. He has failed in life but his heart is in the right place. He agrees to babysit three spoilt children, each with their own problems, so his mother can go on a date. This isn’t a film to watch with your parents (the opening alone is not for a child’s eyes). It is quite adult but kooky and funny enough for me not to get upset when it was a little rude or crude (something I’m not a fan of). Hill also plays subtle drama well, the scene where he goes to visit the father who left the family home for a younger women and had another family is played perfectly.

 

Sam Rockwell is great in everything he does, and in this he plays a psycho drug dealer. The three kids in the movie are great too. The acting and the script are all good.

 

I really liked this film and I’m giving it four stars. I dare you to go see it and not laugh.

 

BOARDWALK EMPIRE SEASON 2

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American cable network HBO’s modus operandi seems reliably similar across many of its shows. A large array of characters interacting on an arresting, gigantic backdrop and slowly building up their story arcs with one another before tying them together in a steadily escalating rush to the end. Those seeking immediate, self contained thrills each and every week should look toward FOX and ABC for such shows. This approach extends to HBO’s current hot ticket Boardwalk Empire; an epic, lavish and violent show set in Atlantic City at the beginning of prohibition in the 1920’s and the explosion of organised crime that followed. Central to the action is Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (played by American indie king Steve Buscemi), the county treasurer with an eye for opportunity and loose morals. He straddles the worlds of both law and crime effortlessly ensuring that he, his corrupt sheriff brother Eli (Shea Whigham) and their cronies come out of a situation with their wallets bursting. As the drama unfolds Nucky contends with both infamous historical figures of the time; Arnold Rothstein (Michael Sthulbarg) and Al Capone (Stephen Graham), and with fictional counterparts such as unhinged war veteran/prodigy Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), widow turned mistress Margaret Schroder (Kelly MacDonald) and zealous Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon).

Due to the delayed release of season one in the UK, we had the pleasure of both seasons only being separated by a few months. At the outset of season two Nucky and Margaret are living together seemingly contented. Yet this is shattered when Eli and Jimmy, the latter spurned on by his domineering mother Gillian (Gretchen Moll), lead an open rebellion against Nucky’s leadership with the alcohol flowing into the city proving the key factor. Battle lines are drawn, blood ties are broken and bodies drop like flies as both sides struggle to hold onto what both believe are theirs.

The most easily recognizable aspect of Boardwalk Empire’s quality is its look and design. Every scene, every location and arguably every frame are immaculate to a tee and the cinematography and visual effects weigh up just as much. The show is produced by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese (who also directed the pilot episode) and his influence and sway clearly show and not just in the visual department. As a whole the show engages with the love/hate relationship between America and the almost mythic figure of the organised criminal. There is nothing as trivial as good and bad in this world; the viewer has to use their own moral compass to determine who is the least evil. The theme of betrayal and mistrust runs throughout this season as protégé’s turn against mentors and families against their own. This comes to a head particularly in the penultimate episode where we discover the cause of the friction between Jimmy and Gillian as their story takes a turn similar to Oedipus Rex. The tension is practically unbearable as…well let’s just say things get Freudian. Very Freudian…

The performances of Boardwalk Empire are frequently cited as its major draw. Indeed any show with Steve Buscemi at the helm is worthy of all attention. As well as playing to the strengths of confidence and arrogance that have permeated through many of the characters he has played in the past, there is a vulnerability to Nucky that allows Buscemi to tap into emotional depths that perhaps he has not had the chance to truly reach in previous roles. His roles opposite his brother, from both fisticuffs to graveside revelations, are nothing short of heart-breaking. Michael Pitt proves an almost perfect foil, his youthful charm and handsomeness are a sidestep diversion to Jimmy’s brutality and crumbling psyche under the pressure of demon parents and gangster dealings. His eyes are deep and expressive but there is an underlying darkness that is sometimes genuinely terrifying. Pitt has utilised similar skills on the independent circuit and it’s a pleasure to see them demonstrated on a mainstream outlet. There are equally impressive turns amongst the supporting cast, most underrated amongst them being perhaps British actor Jack Huston as disfigured veteran turned hitman Richard Harrow, a role that despite being delivered beneath a prosthetic mask rings with tortured emotion.

Unfortunately it is in the initial portrayal of its female characters that the show falls down. Model turned actress Paz de la Huerta is saddled with an inconsequential role as Nucky’s former mistress Lucy, a role that could have more impact if it were not for de la Huerta’s inert performance; every line reading is as flat as the Ferns’. Her poor performance would be less distracting if the shows maker didn’t insist on her being nude in the majority of her scenes. Aleksa Palladino fares a little better as Jimmy’s unsatisfied artist wife Angela. Her performance is fine yet she is given little material to work with which makes a particular end of game plot revelation lack the gut punch it deserves. Thankfully there are two roles for women in the show that stand tall and proud; Kelly MacDonald and Gretchen Moll. When we meet Margaret Schroder in season one she appears initially as an oppressed victim who slowly but steadily reacts with confidence and assuredness to her changing circumstances. Ranging from deceiving lawman to fending off attackers via shotgun, MacDonald is a tour de force of vulnerability and uncertainty; her later scenes as she grapples with her personal guilt never lapse over into sentimentality. On the flip side of this Gretchen Moll inhabits the role of Gillian with such chilling venom (‘You will not be disrespected!’) with moments of breathtaking clarity into her characters inner torment. An early scene where she confronts the invalid man who violated her as a child is perfectly paced; drawing in with allusion, steady reveal and a final devastating explosion in violence. A sympathetic villain if there ever was one.
All in all Boardwalk Empire has played like crafty card shark. It knows exactly when to show its big hand yet also feels like its holding a lot of tension back. Every jaw dropping set piece or character moments is bookended by copious amounts of exposition and the sense of characters moving into place though on a large chess board. It is these moments of sheer muscular strength that make the show a force to be reckoned with and earn the patience during its quieter moments. It has been renewed for a third season and after its powerful final seasons there is the strong hope that these two first seasons have laid the groundwork for the true fireworks. Even still below par HBO is miles ahead of the competition and with Buscemi and MacDonald at the helm, anything is possible.

Boardwalk Empire Season 2 finale was broadcast on Christmas Eve. Boardwalk Empire – Season 1 (HBO) [DVD]

Londoners Life 19 – By Phil Ryan

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Londoners Life 19 – By Phil Ryan

Well a big hello after my absence. Had to finish off two novels and some other projects. But I’m back in time for my New Year review. London has had a busy old time in many ways. We’ve watched the giant money hole of the Olympics steal more and more of our money, we’ve had a bit of rioting, a bit of demonstrating and a bit of a recession. And how’s it left us Londoners? Well certainly the gap between rich and poor continues apace – some areas in London now resembling scenes from the aftermath of an apocalyptic plague movie whilst other tangibly smell of cash and cashmere. This gap can also be measured in ever sky rocketing house prices. Whilst everyday living costs creep ever higher. So for my review of 2011 here’s a quick list of a few London change indicators.
• Starters in restaurants now seem to cost as much as a main course
• More restaurants have replaced their chairs with those highly comfortable solid wooden thin benches from a Victorian prison
• A trip to the cinema for two is coming in at close to £25.00 and popcorn has broken the £5.00 ceiling
• There’s a new demonstration every day in Town not to mention various permanent demonstrations at tourist sights
• The Oyster card now only offers minor convenience in getting in and out of stations but cleverly hides the ever spiraling travel costs (until you have to top up)
• Parking in London is now only affordable by the wealthy or the desperate
• London Councils have finally abandoned all pretense of caring about their residents.
• Shops have sales every other week
• Sushi restaurants are taking over
So goodbye to 2011 with your momentous world events that touched London but didn’t fundamentally alter it in any way. For keen power player watchers we’ve had scandals and phone hacking saga’s that apart from the closure of the News of the World don’t seem to have changed the main players. Our Bankers carry on as normal apart from those lower down the food chain losing their jobs. So from a Londoners perspective what’s 2012 going to be like? Well it’s going to be more expensive across the board from transport to accommodation. The Olympic gravy train will roll in and out inconveniencing us all (of course TFL will run a fantastic tube service with an extra 6 million people on board) And there’ll probably be another uplifting parade to celebrate the royal baby that will undoubtedly appear in time for the Queens Jubilee celebrations. Closer to home still Hammersmith Bridge will be finally replaced by Lego as that seems more robust than the one they spent millions of our taxes on ‘repairing’. The Mayoral election will shock us all when a surprise last minute candidate bags the top job. Said candidate being that bloke off my big fat gypsy wedding. And London Councils will begin plans to cull the poor.

Looking back I’m left with some of my favourite moments from what I can only describe as ‘spokespeople’. TV and Radio reporters grabbing that all important human interest moment out on the street. So from ‘Rioters in Tottenham’ we had (from young guy number 1 with a hoodie and face mask carrying a large plasma TV) “It’s all about Iraq” (from young man number 2 with a hoodie and face mask number) “It’s about anger. We’re angry about being angry”. From a ‘St Pauls Cathedral Camp protester’ (who looked slightly the worse for wear) “I came to support these people and whatever it is they’re protesting about – it’s brilliant whatever it is and they gave me a tent a spliff and some soup I mean how great is that?” From a Christmas shoppers laden with about ten bags “Yes we’re cutting right back this year” and from some religious loon with a beard “Threatening death for us is an argument it’s not unreasonable”. So Happy 2012 to us all and whether its Ken or Boris as Mayor, whether we win gold medals or flog the Olympic venues for a tenner to a friend of Lord Coe’s as Londoner’s we just won’t care – It’s a London thing.