Review: Wilfred Episode 2

This week we opened with the theme of loyalty, and it reared its head nicely when Ryan agreed to trick Wilfred into going to the vet.

Before this, we were treated to a charming montage of Wilfred bonding with Ryan set to Peggy Lee's "It's a Good Day", which only built up the tension heading to the vet.

Review: Can of Worms

Firstly, what the hell is this show?

Review: Wilfred (US): Episode One

Wilfred recently premiered in Australia on Ten's digital channel Eleven. It premiered in America last week on FX.

Angry Boys Episode Four Review: An Improvement, But Where To From Here?

I was reluctant to review another episode of Angry Boys.

First of all because it meant that I would have to sit through another episode, and I'm sorry, but so far the series hasn't really done anything for me.

Secondly, from what I had seen in the "next week on Angry Boys" preview, it seemed like things weren't going to get much better; we were told that Nathan likes to look at his mum in the shower (enjoy, families watching!) and the fact that he likes to "wank" a lot... and presumably there was some delightful link to be found there.

And thirdly, I don't really enjoy spraying my particular form of invective out into the blogosphere (if that's still a thing), as "hating on" any show is not fun, especially when it's Australian. Not that Australian shows should be judged less harshly, but when Angry Boys has been the only scripted comedy on screens in 2011, we shouldn't be too quick to shoot it down, and maybe hope for something that's a bit, well, funnier.

But I went into this week's instalment with the same positive mindset as there was yet another character being introduced; that of Japanese mother Jen Okazaki. She is basically a fusion of the stereotype of Asian parents combined with the showbiz-parent character.

Now, the more cynical might say that we've seen it all before with Ricky Wong in We Can Be Heroes (his parents wanted him to work at the CSIRO, but he wanted to be a performer).

But I gave him Lilley the benefit of the doubt in that we are presented with the pushy parent's perspective.

And this time, the parent is pushing her son into being a gay skateboarder.

Oh, did I mention the GAY part? Because the rest of the background information doesn't really matter as long as you know that.

And the character itself is probably fairly original in the context of the series. She's a strong female character, with an intimidating presence similar to Gran. But while Gran takes out her anger in a brash, physical way, Jen uses a searing form of quiet discipline.

It has been said that Lilley's female characters are more impressive than his male ones, and it's hard to disagree, especially after tonight's episode.

And while the character of the mother is typically cold, there is a bit of fun to be had.

Angry Boys Review Episode 3: More of the Same... Unfortunately

[caption id="attachment_658" align="alignnone" width="325" caption="Source: http://www.northernstar.com.au/"][/caption]

Another week, another episode of Angry Boys. And following the trend, there's an exposition of another major character.

We're up to Episode 3 now and so far, the show has received praise for Lilley's acting ability, as well as for his new character Gran, who has proved to be a perfect mix of funny ("Gran's Gotchas") and tough love.

Apart from that however, it has been expressions of disappointment for Lilley's caricaturist and plain unfunny portrayal of s.Mouse, a down in the dumps rapper, in which Lilley has donned a blackface get-up - not that that was why it wasn't funny.

The existing characters of Daniel and Nathan Sims fit somewhere in the middle. The main shtick there is their rude behaviour and language, which admittedly was funny at first, but after a while, it seemed like the same old stuff we had seen in We Can Be Heroes, and to an extent, Summer Heights High in the form of Jonah.

But I just want to make clear the fact that it is not a bad show, by any means. There is a clear attempt at humour, and let's face it, there isn't much of that (well, none of it) on Australian TV at the moment and it is clear the direction Lilley is trying to take the show.

However, the problem is, is that the "funny" came in dicky, sweary bursts by dumb or self-obsessed characters, and Lilley seems intent on shoe-horning in moments of pathos, which does not always gel with the tone of the episode, and obviously comes at the expense of laughs.

However, I was still open to have my mind changed by Episode 3 and the introduction of surfer Blake Oakfield. In fact I was quite excited.

The conceit of a surfer who lost a testicle in a shooting incident didn't exactly excite me, as it seemed in the vein of the same "dick balls poo f*ck" comedy he had been running with the past couple of episodes, so... Was it?

The opening scene was all about setting up the overarching plot of Nathan's deaf-school party, drawing together all the various celebrities (as well as Gran Sims).

Then we got introduced to Blake Oakfield and we find out what type of character he is. He is "in love with himself" as well as being a "bit of a dickhead".

He is a member of the "Mucca Mad Boys". And we also learn that it is one of two rival gangs in the town, which has been a source of violence (we are treated to a re-enactment of a scuffle).

Blake is under the impression that he is protecting the town.

So, Blake is an idiot with a hero complex. Which I guess is kind of funny, in that it plays on the destructive nature of gang mentality, as well as the male tendency to protect your territory.

Unfortunately, there weren't many jokes at all in that plotline.

Instead, we were treated to re-enactment on top of re-enactment as an establishing tool. Unfortunately, it was in graphic, unfunny detail; we got to see a gory picture of presumably, some bloody male genitals. Why? Blake has lost his testicles.

And it would be easy to critique the joke of people kicking Blake in the balls- or lack of- repeatedly, as it could be seen as immature, etc. But I'm not going to, for the moment. I will just remind you of a certain show called the Ronnie Johns Half Hour, which featured a recurring sketch of two people kicking each other in the balls. And that was a heavily criticised show, for those who bothered to watch it at least.

SMouse is under house-arrest, and so we get a mini-tour of his mansion. He shows us his plasma, etc. We also get to meet his girlfriend, so of course, we get to hear a different range of vocab: yup, there are some "sluts" some "bitches" and some "suck a dicks" in there.

She tells us: "After a fight, we get it on". And that's all we hear from her, because she apparently dumps him.

So there we go, that's the plot. And overall it was OK; but not at all funny, I'm sorry. If I'm missing something, let me know. But if I keep being expected to laugh at "balls balls BALLS bitch bitch f*ck!!!"... well, I can't really be expected to watch anymore. Can you?

Angry Boys Episode 2 Review: Not-so-Mighty S.mouse

Source: abc.net.au

This isn't to say that the first episode was terrible, it just didn't live up to the hype generated by his previous track record. It also didn't feature a great deal of laughs.

However, I was holding out for the second, and maybe the third to make any more sweeping judgements. And let me get this clear- I really want to like this series, as I'm sure everyone else does, however, you have to continually judge it as a standalone show, not in the manner of "How good is Lilley's latest masterpiece?"

For starters, the character s.Mouse is possibly one of the worst creations in the history of Australian comedy. And not "worst" as in, "Oh, isn't J'amie terrible!" kind of way. I don't like saying it, believe me, but the idea of an African American rapper  who needs to get his career back on track isn't remotely appealing to me, nor do I think it would be to any other Australian. If it is, feel free to prove me wrong.

Once again, I feel it helps to reiterate what was so great about the previous two series; he managed to capture a unique style of humour, a distinctly Australian one with Australian characters. Even J'amie, who many might say was a Mean Girls-type clone, had a uniquely Australian flavour.

The reason for s.Mouse's inclusion in the series seems to be primarily to appeal to American audiences (by sheer virtue of the fact that he is an African American)... and of course, it is yet another excuse for Lilley to go nuts and fill up the swear-jar ten times over. But it's not just swearing, we get some "poos", some "bitches" and whatever else you can think of.

And I better just qualify something again; I don't take issue with the sheer volume of swearing a scatological references- "Puck you, miss", while not necessarily a swear-word, is one of the genuinely funny parts of Summer Heights High. I take issue with the fact that Lilley seems to just be hammering these words from week to week (first with the Sims brothers, now with s.Mouse).

So, am I missing something here? Is there another layer to the character that would make him seem all that more hilarious?

The ultimate test would be, to imagine the s.Mouse character as a sketch performed on Ben Elton's Live From Planet Earth, a short-lived show that endured an absolute bollocking in every medium known to man. Once everyone had made their minds up; that this was an old has-been trotting out clichéd stereotypes, people delighted in savaging every part of the show (for the record, I disliked it, barring a few OK elements).

Now, imagine Ben Elton running out on stage (this is a Channel Nine show, mind you), in a Chris Lilley blackface-type set-up. He reads from exactly the same script as Lilley has written, etc.

Now, what would everyone think? What would you think? Funny now?

Oh, but it's Chris Lilley who makes the character is it? Well not even he could salvage this one.

In fairness, it seems that many people on Twitter expressed sentiments to the tune of the character not doing anything for them, with some even being daring enough to admit it didn't make them laugh.

But once again, tell me what made you laugh- if anything- about the character. Was it the "Slap My Elbow" song? Oh, 'cause it emphasises how ridiculous rapper and rap-music is... And?

But please, let me know.

But once again, the saving grace was once again Gran, a character that many have expressed favour for. She/he really is a unique character, tough love is the only way she knows, yet her (strangely) blokey demeanour allows her to rib the inmates, to often hilarious results (ie. "Gran's Gotchas" in Episode 1).

However, I once again express my distaste for the fact that Lilley feels the need to shoe-horn a heartfelt moment in at the end. In this case, it was Gran sharing a motherly moment with a dog-wanker inmate (yes, HA!). I guess it would have been a satisfying resolution to the episode's vague plot, yet given the lack of laughs in the first half of the episode, it would have been nice to balance it with a few more in the second.

Between the Lines Review: A Nice Surprise, but can it Join the Ranks of "Specks", GNW, TAYG?

I was pleasantly surprised by Nine's latest foray into the panel/quiz show formula. Ten has its pop culture quiz show in Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, its news quiz show in Good News Week. ABC has its music quiz show in Spicks and Specks and its sports quiz show in The Trophy Room. So how does this stack up?

Well, first off Eddie McGuire as host : he did the job just fine, there was never any question of that. As always, it always comes down to whether you are a fan of his or not, or rather, if you can tolerate him or not. But whether you like him or not, he knows when to let the guests crack their jokes or tell their stories, and when to keep the show moving (though it was not live).
But at the end of the day, even if you don't like Eddie, he doesn't dominate the show, so it would be tolerable at worst.

The two team captains were Mick Molloy and Ryan Fitzgerald, who were both quite funny. Molloy came with a few succinct one-liners that he's used to delivering on Before the Game while Fitzgerald was quite good at responding to situations and making jokes up on the spot.

The comedians were Peter Berner and Ed Kavalee, and they were predictably brilliant, however, I couldn't help feeling a pang of nostalgia and excitement for the two shows these two were/are involved in (The Einstein Factor and The Joy of Sets).

The stars Lauren Burns and James Tomkins didn't really have a lot to offer except for a couple of amusing anecdotes, but I guess you need them on there given it is a sports show. And having 6 comedians on a show can sometimes be too chaotic.

So it's really no different to most panel-type shows- it will live and die by the quality of its guests. For example, I would watch if people like Ed Kavalee were on, but not if someone like Ruby Rose were on.



Also, speaking of female guests, many have remarked that there is not a strong female presence, which opens it up to a barrage of criticism. Here's a suggestion for another female guest- Mieke Buchan. She is also on Eddie's Triple M breakfast show, and has good chemistry with him. Also, and most importantly, she knows her sport- she is also associated with Channel Nine as she does voiceovers for the AFL Footy Show.

And speaking of chaos, if you stack it up against GNW, Eddie keeps his show under control. Which isn't to say that the chaos doesn't work for GNW.

It is also a bit more structured than Talkin Bout Your Generation, as that show requires a looser format to allow Shaun Micallef room to weave his magic, the elaborate games to play out and allow the guests to have some good ol' fashioned fun.

However, it is not as structured as Spicks and Specks. It does borrow heavily from its games such as the "pick a subject" questions, and the "true or false" anecdotes. However, I for one couldn't care less. If a show is good, I don't care if it borrows elements from other shows. After all, we're all friends here....

There was, however, one part I disliked was the segment in which the contestants had to pick the "real" Gary Cosier. It isn't really the fault of the comedians, as they are there to make jokes, but they proceeded to take potshots at the five "Garys" based on their physical appearance. It only served to demonstrate the sort of blokey ribbing with more than a hint of nastiness that would cause many to switch off. For example, Molloy kicked it off by saying one of the "Garys" "is clearly on day release". Ed Kavalee's were less malicious, saying one looked like he wants to "go (him)", while another looked like "Con the Fruiterer". Molloy, though, finished by saying one looked like he was born in "1896". On the other side, Berner said "Get two Kerry Bousteads and tape them together" to get one of the "Kerry Bousteads" in the line-up.

I just hope five women aren't put up next week or else it could get very ugly...

So in the end, it turned out to be a decent show. Not exactly a rip-snorter, but it has the capacity to turn out some decent laughs every week. However, it all comes down to the ratings tomorrow...

Angry Boys Review: Good, but not Hilarious - A Dangerous New Direction for Lilley?

At first, I didn't care if Angry Boys was going to be the funniest thing I had ever seen.

The fact is, we know that Chris Lilley can do funny. In fact, he can do it very well, HBO-standard well. He's shown us this by contributing two of the funniest Australian series to ever grace our screens.

Lilley could have easily served up Summer Heights High 2. Almost too easily, as it would be another certain hit, given the success of the first.

He even could have brought back Jonah, as by definition, he is an "Angry Boy".

However, he hasn't. He has assembled a cast of "new" characters, barring the the two Sims brothers, who were first seen on We Can Be Heroes.

However what I was looking for was not whether the show was funny, but if it stood by itself as a unique and original show. This is because despite how funny the first two series were, there were strong similarities.

And as much as these aforementioned things were all ticks in my book, the question remained whether he would trot out the same Lilley formula.

That is: "controversial" jokes, cringe-worthy situations and often juvenile-style humour.

The other questions hovered over the new characters: would the Japanese mother resemble Ricky Wong's parents too closely (or just an "Asian" stereotype in general)? Did the "black rapper" represent Lilley's stooping to broader comedy?

Unfortunately, in the first episode, we only received answers to some of these questions as we were only presented with the two Sims brothers and their grandmother, prison warden Gran.

First of all, I will start out by saying that my casual assumption that Lilley could churn out another funny series was incorrect as so far, Angry Boys is not as funny as its two predecessors, nor do I think it will be.

Suddenly it became about not whether Lilley had created something new and fresh, but just whether he had at least made a funny show. And I don't know if he delivered in that respect.

The two Dunt boys showed that they don't have that much more to offer in terms of comedy- especially since it feels like we've seen it before in We Can Be Heroes. We also saw boys behaving badly done to perfection in Summer Heights High in the form of Jonah.

And if you were to place the two (or three) characters of Jonah and the Dunt boys next to each other, it would be hard to differentiate between the two. Both are foul-mouthed teenagers... And that's about as far as it goes. However, Jonah's character was inherently more hilarious as we could see he was a student who was struggling academically, yet used swearing, bullying and breakdancing to paper over the cracks.

Viewers enjoy laughing at this situation as we are laughing "at" his bullyboy antics which he uses to escape his hell that is schoolwork. Hence Lilley's combination of funny antics with an underlying hint of pathos proved a winner.

But when it is transposed to the Dunt boys, we are asked to laugh "with" them as they perform burnouts, flip the bird and... Swear. They aren't performing these actions because they have an underlying insecurity, they are simply boys behaving badly. And while some (well, probably more than some) will find them funny, it isn't substantial enough in the first episode.

This was why Lilley decided to supply a boost of pathos... However, to me, explaining that the ear drum transplant didn't work was a cop out, after their story was seemingly resolved in We Can Be Heroes. I don't mind so much the idea, but when their story is resurrected in order for Lilley to swear nonstop again, it doesn't really cut it. It's also a classic bet-hedging: if critics don't end up laughing at the jokes, at least they will fall into the trap of complimenting the heartfelt elements of the story. Well, not I certainly haven't.

Gran, however is a strong character, who would go down as a famous strong female character if she wasn't played by a bloke. Her racist remarks seemed plausible for an old-school character such as her, however if the media decides, they could easily stir up a huge s-storm over.

However, even though it isn't as funny, it is clear that there is a stronger narrative arc, and stronger ties between the characters- something that was pretty much nonexistent in the previous series.

Time will tell whether viewers will respond to this as well- they probably will but if Lilley still wants to label his shows comedies, I would say the first episode strayed very heavily into dramedy down. If you watched it again, you could pretty much draw a line down the middle of the episode and observe these two conflicting sides to Lilley's apparent new style.

To be fair to Lilley, it would be worth waiting for the exposition of the rest of the characters to make a true judgement.

At the end of the day, Lilley needs to remember the reason why his shows are so popular: they are funny. Though he won praise for his portrayal of Jonah, in the way that he made the audience feel sympathy for him in the end, this should not become the centerpiece of the show.

Overall, it was good, but not great, with the highlight being the new character Gran (cue another Lilley creation: Gran's Gotchas), so hopefully the rest of the new characters inject similar new life into the show.