Film: Dir. Nicholas Hytner - The History Boys

Dir. Nicholas Hytner
The History Boys
[Comedy]





Of all the popular British pastimes, smugly celebrating the supposed majesty of British comedy has to be among the most lamentable. Because we "get" irony and Americans don't, it's acceptable in Britain to make offensive jokes under the pretence of satire. For example, a Jew portraying Arabs as racist, homophobic and misogynistic is funny. Blacking-up and stereotyping black women is funny. Pretending that Asian women are incomprehensible is funny. I thought the dark days of Mind Your Language and Love Thy Neighbour were behind us, but a quick glance at mainstream British comedy suggests otherwise. Come on faithful TV, how long before Roy "Chubby" Brown gets his own Friday night sketch show?

Aside from the latent mainstream racism, supposedly "alternative" British comedy is also decidedly unfunny. Though a handful of shows have slipped shyly by with impotent mediocrity (Green Wing, The IT Crowd, Mitchell & Webb), we have also seen some of the worst "comedy" of all time. Hyperspace, for example, managed to get commissioned despite an unfunny premise, few recognisable jokes and that fat girl who's funny because she's fat and doesn't mind jokes about how she's fat so it makes her funny.

Elsewhere, Time Trumpet recently proved that Armando Iannucci is well past his sell-by date, and The Thick Of It almost defies description - never did I believe that a series could be considered amusing through the sad, desperate repetition of single four-letter word. Maybe it's fucking just fucking me, but I can't fucking understand why the fuck British fucking comedy is fucking considered so fucking better than its American counterpart.

Which, incidentally, brings us on to The History Boys - Nicholas Hytner's recent adaptation of the successful Alan Bennett play. The film follows a class of boys at a Sheffield school as they attempt to gain entry to Cambridge University. After successful A-level results, they return to school in order to perfect their interview routine under the watchful eye of teacher and part-time paedophile Hector (Richard Griffiths). Everything proceeds in a safe, light-hearted fashion with all the upper-middle class, tea and biscuit jokes that underline the insipid banality of recent British comedy.

The collection of characters is almost embarrassing in its absurd representation of every section of society; there's the black one, the Asian one, the fat one, the gay one, the foppish one, the laddy one, the dopey one and the working-class one - a strangely cosmopolitan bunch for a mid-80s South Yorkshire comprehensive. This aside, the film isn't actually very funny and didn't produce a single hearty laugh in the screening I saw. It occasionally considers issues of repressed homosexuality and the public perception of paedophilia, but this is largely superfluous (and unintentionally ironic) considering the appalling stereotypes on which the rest of The History Boys is based.

There is nevertheless a single, ten-minute section of the film, conducted entirely in French, which amused me. Recalling similar lessons experienced at school, the class attempt to perform a play in the language, stumbling over certain words and acting out the more difficult ones. The characters' Anglicisation of the language was excellent, and the slapstick accompaniment was similarly enjoyable.

The rest of the film plays on the tired notion of "aren't national eccentricities like soooo funny??!!" and suffers dreadfully as a result. The actors all do their respective stereotypes justice, but that only serves to emphasise the lifelessness of the script. However, given the recent state of British comedy, one laugh is probably above average and something for which the film makers should be commended. Oh and extra marks for putting the superb Clash instrumental "Mustapha Dance" on the soundtrack. 27

Film: Dir. Guillermo del Toro - El Labyrinto del Fauno

Dir. Guillermo del Toro
El Labyrinto del Fauno
[Fantasy]





Guillermo del Toro's fairytale epic combines beauty, elegance, wonder, terror, sadness and hope in a way I never thought possible. Not only is it the best release of 2006, it is a compelling masterpiece and one of the greatest movies of recent times.

Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, El Labyrinto del Fauno follows the story of a young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who, ignoring the wishes of her murderous and brutal step father, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), follows a fairy into the woods and happens upon a forgotten labyrinth. Its inhabitant, a faun named Pan (Doug Jones), reveals that Ofelia is the long-lost princess of an ancient kingdom and must complete three tasks in order to return to her despairing family.

Though the plot of the film may appear derivative, it is the way in which El Labyrinto del Fauno is presented, acted and constructed which makes it so special. It is visually stunning from beginning to end, effortlessly juxtaposing grim, war-torn environments with inspired fantasy settings. The actors all give flawless performances, especially Lopez who, despite playing a deranged sadist for the most part, succeeds in exposing his character's hidden fragility as forgotten secrets begin to emerge. In fact, all of the main characters are given space to develop and do so accordingly - Ofelia's wide-eyed acceptance is soon riddled with suspicion and even Vidal's doctor is forced to reassess his loyalties.

El Labyrinto del Fauno is tough, violent and occasionally terrifying - certainly not characteristics of a traditional fairytale. However, what del Toro manages to capture so majestically is the essence of what makes the form so successful; the fact that this occurs in such a mature setting is testament to the man's ability and imagination. Try to recall, if you will, your initial reaction to the tales of Goldilocks, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood et al and you'll begin to appreciate the feelings that El Labyrinto del Fauno can evoke. Believe it or not, it really is that good. 96

Music: The Long Blondes - Someone to Drive You Home

The Long Blondes
Someone to Drive You Home
[Guitar Pop / Indie]








Something that really irks me about modern British "indie" music is the prominence of substance over style. The seemingly endless procession of scrubbed-up, safe, mirror kissing rock and rollers has really hit a high point in 2006, and sadly looks set to continue. It is fair to say that, since the release of Silent Alarm in early 2005, only North American music has really mattered, seeing strong releases from Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, The New Pornographers, My Morning Jacket, Sleater-Kinney, Wolf Parade, Antony and the Johnsons, TV on the Radio...do I need to go on? Even Belle & Sebastian, traditionally one of the shining lights in British indie, served up an underwhelming effort with The Life Pursuit.

That said, it's even more annoying when my ingrained elitist preconceptions about British guitar bands are found to be fallible, as was recently the case with the Long Blondes. Sure, they attract innumerable scenesters, fit snugly in the NME and will be forgotten as quickly as they arrived, but their music displays qualities traditionally associated with good bands. Yes, really. Though singer Kate Jackson's shy introvert shtick is about as transparent as Larrikin Love's...well...everything, her strained Debbie Harry-style histrionics are pleasantly alluring. Some of the songs have irresistible hooks and, while shortlived, certainly leave an impression.

Someone to Drive You Home may not be the most sophisticated music you'll hear in years, but then the Long Blondes are not a sophisticated band. That said, on the odd occasion the band do attempt to break the mould, they are surprisingly successful. The one-two punch of "Swallow Tattoo" and "Weekend Without Makeup" provides the album's strongest sequence, and elsewhere "Giddy Stratospheres" and "Once & Never Again" feature soulful, believable vocals and strong melodies. What is noticeable on each of these songs is that, though playing pretty safe music, The Long Blondes are an extremely tight unit. Each instrument is clear and the sounds mesh together nicely without ever sounding over-produced or artificial.

Despite these four noticeable highs, however, The Long Blondes appear to be on auto-pilot for much of their debut. Many songs on Someone To Drive You Home are indistinguishable from one another, following the same structure, repetetively musing on the naivety of youth and sounding pretty much identical. Only the aforementioned "Weekend..." has lyrics of interest, with Jackson refusing to play the role of "some kind of 50s housewife" and heartily bitching about her man until the realisation hits: "I've got you, got you under my skin". Elsewhere, it's all boys, girls, lipstick and giddy-eyed romance. Snooze.

So, while Someone to Drive You Home may not be the indie masterpiece the British scene badly needs, it's a pleasant enough surprise to warrant a knowing wink of approval. Well done, chaps. 61

Games: Rockstar Vancouver - Canis Canem Edit

Rockstar Vancouver
Canis Canem Edit
[Third-Person Action]





Canis Canem Edit will do nothing to dispel the notion that Rockstar make good games. What it will do, however, is bring into question the company's ability to make good, original games. Although the first few hours of the game (which see serial delinquant Jimmy Hopkins tackling daily life at Bullworth Academy) are a blast to play, the game rapidly descends into standard GTA fare, with the player required to perform errands, conquer different groups and acquire safehouses in order to progress through the main story.

There are a lot of enjoyable things about Canis Canem Edit, such as its distinct sense of humour and engaging cast, the crazy assortment of weapons, the school environment, a strong story and a charming assortment of social cliques, yet the majority of the gameplay feels like a retread.

The control system, on screen displays, graphic design and even the pause menu are pretty much lifted from the Grand Theft Auto series, and the fact that the majority of the second half of the game takes place in a city, rather than the academy, doesn't help matters. Even though the game has prefects instead of police, soda cans instead of health packs and joke shops instead of gun shops, it operates in such a similar manner to GTA that it feels more like playing a mod than a brand new game.

Although the structure of life at Bullworth is an interesting aspect of the game - Jimmy must attend two lessons a day, avoid the curfew after dark and be in bed by two - it becomes an irritant when missions require Jimmy to visit the other side of town, especially given the speed of the clock. Of course there is the option to skip lessons and locate alternate areas to sleep, but doing so on a regular basis negates one of the most appealing and distinguishing aspects of the game.

Despite all its faults, it would be unfair to conclude that Canis Canem Edit is a bad game - far from it. It's just that with such an initially joyous and original setting, I expected a little more. 74