The Sketch Show Series 2: Top 10 Sketches

After winning a BAFTA for the fantastic first series, The Sketch Show returned for a final season consisting of eight episodes. Kitty Flanagan joined the cast, replacing Ronni Ancona, with the other four cast members remaining. Though not as strong as series one, there are a number of stand-out sketches from the show's final series that deserve recognition, and here they are:

10. Military Wife

Military Officer Lee visits Kitty to inform her of her husband's death during the war. Lee continuously appears to have finished telling her how her husband died, only to reveal that he constantly survived the many accidents and attempts on his life. Both shocked and relived at the same time, Kitty eventually learns that her husband left her for another woman. Lee comforts her by explaining that her husband has now been shot for desertion. This sketch, like Film Noir in series one, perfectly creates the look of the period of which it is set, and Kitty's deliberately overplayed widow makes for a great satire.

9. Busker

A very short sketch, involving Tim busking near the sea. As he sings, people walk past and generously place money in his guitar case. With Tim stopping to say "thanks" every time someone pays, he becomes more and more frustrated with their generosity, leading him to hilariously shout at them: "will you just let me sing?!". Though a more simple sketch, Tim's delivery of the final line makes this a personal favourite of mine.

8. Partner Names

Kitty is unimpressed with Lee's various "romantic names" for her. Trying several in one go, Kitty grows more impatient with his efforts. Eventually, she simply demands Lee call her by her proper name, only for Lee to reveal he refuses to do so being that her proper name is "Minge". What I love is that Lee's suggested names are all perfectly innocent (if a bit ridiculous), making for an unexpected reveal of Kitty's real name. 

7. Bill Paying

After a meal, Jim and Tim ask for the bill, with both more than happy to pay it themselves. A small argument soon takes an unexpected turn, as the two draw guns on one another, creating a stand-off. The sketch parodies classic tropes of film stand-offs, such as Jim telling Tim that he's captured his wife, and Tim trying to negotiate a deal. As well as this, the backdrop of having this take place over something as innocent as paying a bill offers up some great comedy, with Jim finally paying the bill and the waitress (Kitty) drawing a gun on him after he tips her.

6. Ben Ign

Perhaps the darkest sketch in the series, due to the subject matter. Tim is told by his doctor (Lee) that his condition is benign. Lee then refers to him as Mr. Ignant, to which Tim corrects him. Upon learning that his patient's name is Mr. Ben Ign, Lee looks at his documents and asks: "then who's this 'Mal Ignant'?". The calmness of both Tim and Lee's performances is key to this sketch working, as overplaying it could be seen as a more insensitive use of the subject matter. As it stands, this is a clever use of dark humour and is a stand-out in the series as a result.

5. Pickpocket
Kitty teaches Lee how to be a successful pickpocket, with her demonstrating on a passer-by. Inspired by this, Lee attempts the same. However, his distraction of starting a conversation with his target quickly backfires, as the target (Tim) engages enthusiastically with the conversation, asking: "how are those two kids of yours?" etc. Lee becomes startled and believes Tim is trying to pickpocket him, so he goes back to Kitty for advice and asks: "does this work better if this person isn't my brother?". Tim's overly enthusiastic portaryal of the brother is my favourite part of this sketch, as it is enough to not only confuse Lee, but briefly make him paranoid about being robbed. 

4. Tim's Accident
Lee asks Tim about an accident he had, and how badly it effected him. Upon Tim telling him that he has lost a testicle as a result of the accident, Lee can't help but notice everything he says sounds like a double entendre. I love how many jokes are present during such a small space of time, with everything Lee does to not make references to the accident making things worse and worse. A brilliant sketch providing non-stop laughs.

3. Kitty's Guitar
Arriving back at Kitty's house after a date, Lee notices she has a guitar. He soon wishes he didn't notice it, as Kitty begins playing songs that she wrote. These supposedly romantic songs are the same tune with sightly different lyrics, and are about everyone besides Lee. The interaction between Lee and Kitty is brilliant, with Lee's increasing disinterest working perfectly off Kitty's growing enthusiasm for playing and singing her own songs.

2. Tennis
Karen and Kitty's tennis match is interrupted by Lee, who is making load grunting noises everytime he hits the ball on his court. Frustrated, Kitty sternly tells Lee to keep the noise down, only for Lee to continue at the time where its most inconvenient for her. The sketch is a great satire of not only those who take sport too seriously, but of the unnecessary and over-the-top shouting of tennis players. The final moments of the sketch are a fantastic resolution of the built up tension between the two characters, with Kitty silencing Lee by whacking the tennis ball at him as hard as she can.

1. Police Visit
Not just my favourite sketch of series two, but better than some of series one's finest. Another great example of the show's use of dark humour, as Tim receives a visit from two police officers (Lee and Kitty). Despite their insistence of Tim coming with them to the police station, Tim explains that his wife will be home any moment to celebrate his birthday. The officers then break out into song, and Tim feels relieved that they aren't here on an urgent matter. He then gets a bit of a shock when the officers sing about how Tim's wife has crashed her car, and that they do in fact need him to come to the station. Tim Vine's performance is hilarious, as he manages to sell the innocence of his character so that the dark humour has maximum effect. As series two turned out to be the show's final series, at least it contained this incredible sketch as a reminder of how funny the show could be.

The Sketch Show Series 1: Top 10 Sketches

Last year, I listed my ten favourite episodes of the BBC comedy Not Going Out. After it became one of my favourite shows, I wanted to see what other series Lee Mack and Tim Vine had worked on, and came across The Sketch Show, which featured Mack and Vine along with comic talents Jim Tavare, Karen Taylor and Ronni Ancona. Here are my ten favourite episodes from the first series:

10. Urinal

Perhaps the most famous sketch from the show, involving all three male members of the cast. Filmed in one shot, Tim, Lee and Jim make things complicated for one another when Lee wants to borrow a light for his cigarette from Jim. Already with a drink in his other hand, Tim has to "help" Lee so that both hands can be free to light his cigarette. It's the deadpan manner, particularly that of Jim, that makes this sketch a classic. It would have been so easy to over-act this strange situation, but the three men's comedic timing and naturalism makes this an ever popular sketch.

9. Prostitute 

In this sketch, Lee proves to be a naive customer for a prostitute played by Ronni. His lack of understanding of phrases such as "are you looking for some company" means Ronni has to constantly change her way of speaking. When it looks like she might finally be getting through to Lee, he proves even more naive by finally asking outright: "how much would it be for sex". I love Ronni's portrayal of the increasingly annoyed prostitute because it clashes wonderfully with Lee's overly naive customer, which makes for great comic interaction.

8. Film Noir

Karen plays a mostly silent "femme fatale", as a detective (Lee) tries to admit his feelings whilst confessing he isn't the most romantic guy. Taylor continues to include more reasons as to why he's no good for her, which leads Lee to try harder being more romantic. After her final insult of "you're crap at sex", Mack breaks character, drops his New York accent, and tells her to "get stuffed". The sketch recreates the visuals of a film noir perfectly, with the blinds, office décor and black and white filter creating an authentic look. This why the final line always makes me laugh, as it completely shatters the atmosphere and is a great climax to Lee's continued romantic attempts.

7. Tim's Confession 
Tim wishes to confess something to Lee, who has gathered his colleagues to listen to what he has to say. Believing Lee to be the only one listening, Tim confesses that he likes to wear women's underwear. Driven to the point of madness keeping this a secret, he tells Lee that he regards him as a friend and needs to tell him this "in confidence". Lee admits to mishearing him and tells Tim: "I thought you said in conference". The played down reactions of the colleagues ensures the punchline has great impact, and Lee's sincere admittance to mishearing Tim adds to this sketch's brilliance.

6. Extra

Jim attempts to direct a dinner scene with Ronni and Tim as the lead actors. However, Lee overplays his role of "background scenery", causing Jim to continually re-shoot the sequence. After finally settling on a silent role, Lee promises not to say a word for the final take, only to trip and ruin the set, and thus ruin the entire scene. Lee's obliviousness to making too much noise makes for great comedy, especially when he starts repeating the lines of the lead actors to create "background noise". I believe this was the final sketch of series one, and it certainly is a great finale to the series if so.

5. Imaginary Friends
During a therapy session, Ronnie counsels Lee, Karen and Tim about their imaginary friends. This proves increasingly difficult, with Tim going as far to claim he himself is an imaginary friend of someone else! Lee claims to be accompanying his "friend" to the session for his alcoholism, and Karen claims that her "friend" is her actual boyfriend. At the end of the sketch, it is revealed that Ronni is alone in the room, and that she was imagining the whole scenario. There are many subtle jokes throughout the sketch, particularly from Tim, making this one of the most memorable and hilarious sketches of the series.

4. California Dreaming 
Arguably the next most popular sketch behind Urinal, this closing sketch to the show's first episode features all five members of the cast. Ronni is recording a cover version of "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and The Papas. The only problem, however, is that her backing singers (Lee, Tim, Karen and Jim) are unable to say the correct lyrics. What seems like a simple repetition of Ronni's vocals quickly spirals into absurdity. This sketch ensures that you will forever sing the wrong lyrics whenever you hear the song, which is testament to its genius. Other versions of the show would feature this sketch, but the original cannot be outdone due to its fantastic comic timing and interaction between the cast.

3. Dinner Date
Lee demonstrates every way in which a date can be ruined. His lack of understanding of how to act on a date contrasts with Ronni's calmness and manners. Starting out with only pouring wine for himself, things become more awkward when the waiter (Tim) appears to flirt with Ronni. This leads Lee to taunt Ronni further, until the waiter leaves. Finally, he manages to make her laugh, only to quickly revert back to his usual rude self. Lee completely steals this sketch, with each awkward moment being even more hilarious than the last. The final line that makes Ronni walk out is so unexpected, and is perhaps one of the funniest lines in the show's history.

2. Phobias Workshop
Lee conducts a workshop for the other cast members to get over their phobias, which include awkward silences, repetition, apologies and barking at other people's phobias. To make matters worse, Lee has a phobia of someone shouting "aagh!". When each of these phobias become known, it doesn't take long for a hilarious circle of each phobia being caused by the other. This must have been one of the most complex sketches to act out, as the timing has to be spot on in order for the circle of phobias to work. Perhaps the most inventive sketch in the series, and one which remains funny despite repeated viewings.

1. Gangsters
Jim and Tim have trouble interrogating Lee due to their use of gangster related slang. Not even the threat of being shot makes Lee comply with answering their questions, as he genuinely has no idea what they are saying. The phrases Lee fails to understand become funnier and funnier throughout. At one point, Lee misinterprets Jim's threat of "we don't want to unload in your face" as a sexual comment, and further lands himself in rouble by misunderstanding Jim's meaning of "if you start singing, we're out of here, its Kool and the Gang". Thinking Jim wants him to actually sing, Lee's last attempt to not be shot by the gangsters is to sing "Cherish" in a scared tone. Jim and Tim's over-the-top gangster voices add to the brilliance of sketch, and Lee's deadpan manner is the perfect clash between the characters. 

The Hateful Eight (2016) Review

"When I elbow you real hard in the face, that means: shut up" - John 'The Hangman' Ruth

After having to wait until January for it to be released in the UK and an extra week to write a review of it on this blog, here are my thoughts on Quentin Tarantino's newest film: The Hateful Eight. Following on from the success of Django Unchained, Tarantino has remained in the Western genre for his newest feature, which is told in six chapters. The film has not been without a troubled release in the US, something which has carried over to the UK with a number of cinema chains having pulled out from exhibiting the film. But is the film itself any good, and can it measure up to Tarantino's other features?

On his way to delivering murderer Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rock, Wyoming, John 'The Hangman' Ruth (Kurt Russell) encounters bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson). Also on his way to delivering bounties to Red Rock, Warren joins Ruth in his stagecoach. Along the way they pick up Red Rock's supposed new sheriff, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), and are forced to take shelter from a powerful blizzard. Arriving at Minnie's Haberdashery, they meet lodgers Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), Bob (Demian Bichir) and General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). Ruth becomes instantly suspicious of one of the lodgers wanting to free Domergue, and so he and Warren agree to project each other's bounties whilst keeping a lookout for any suspicious activity. Cue the combination of long dialogue scenes and bloody violence in the manner that only Quentin Tarantino knows how to do best, and you have a film that is undeniably his own.

Sadly, my first thought on the film after seeing it was that it is unnecessarily long. At nearly three hours, it is over-stuffed with Tarantino's longest dialogue sequences. This means that there is a big wait before anything of note happens (the end of the third chapter). Normally, I enjoy build up towards the more exciting moments, but the film really loses pace by having the story get really interesting so long into its run-time. The entire second chapter focuses on Mannix's talks with Warren and Ruth, creating a tension between himself and Warren due to their military history. This is further explored in the third chapter, as Mannix bonds with General Sanford. With the third chapter establishing a clear divide between the three characters and having to introduce the other members of The Hateful Eight, the second chapter has the effect of taking up too much of the run-time. The tension between Mannix, Warren and Sanford plays a big part in setting the best parts of the film into motion, and so the second chapter doesn't feel necessary when the third chapter does a good job of portraying this divide. Another problem is the characters themselves, while having good interactions, aren't as charismatic compared to Tarantino's other western, Django Unchained. Granted, The Hateful Eight has a more stage-play style compared to Django, but some of the charm and comedy moments from Django are sorely missing here. There's the occasional laugh, but they are mainly from Samuel L. Jackson towards the end, and the film feels rather empty without this coming from some of the other characters. 

On the other hand, there are some enjoyable things about The Hateful Eight as well. Though the characters aren't Tarantino's best, the performances are at least up to his films' usual high standard. Jennifer Jason Leigh has received the most praise of any cast member for her role as Domergue, having been nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. You can tell she thoroughly enjoyed playing this character, as she makes every effort to stand-out from such as talented cast at every turn. Whether it be her crazed facial expressions or unsettling calmness, she certainly achieves this. I also really enjoyed Tim Roth's performance, despite his over-the-top British accent. He was the most fun next to Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the film felt like it was always more interesting when he was on screen. Samuel L. Jackson was his usual cool self, which worked well alongside Kurt Russell's more paranoid performance as Ruth. There is also a fantastic musical score by veteran Western composer Ennio Morricone, which is a more than welcome addition to the film. The opening track is particularly powerful as it creates a foreboding atmosphere and works beautifully with the excellent cinematography. Tarantino has stated the importance of filming The Hateful Eight on 70mm (Ultra Panavision), and I think this worked really well. Even with most of the film set indoors, using this format allows the audience to see what every character is doing and helps to show off the scenery better than standard film formats. 

Of course, I haven't been able to experience the film exactly as Quentin Tarantino envisioned. Much has been made of the film's "roadshow release", in which there is an intermission at the half way point. I feel this version of the film would make more sense of some of the creative choices such as the narration at the start of chapter four. Quentin Tarantino himself provides this narration, in which he explains what the audience didn't notice at the end of chapter three. After the intermission, this seems like a good way to get the audience re-involved with the mystery right away, but doesn't make much sense when watching the film straight through chapters one to six. Not a lot of UK venues where showing this particular version of the film, which I definitely would have chosen had I known more about it at the time of going to see it.

While its by no means his weakest film, The Hateful Eight is too long and less interesting than Quentin Tarantino's other works for it to be considered anything more than just about "good". There are some fun performances, a great musical score and sublime cinematography, but the characters and pacing weren't up to the high expectations I had. Some might say I expected too much, but I think after the brilliance of Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, and for such a talented writer/director, I don't think my expectations were unfair. Perhaps my opinion will change after the next viewing, but for now, The Hateful Eight is at the lower end of the impressive pile of work from one of cinema's greatest auteurs. 

Reservoir Dogs (1992) Review

"You ever listen to K-Billy's 'Super Sounds of the Seventies' weekend?" - Mr. Blonde.

With my review of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight being pushed back to next week, what better way to fill the gap than with one of his finest works? Reservoir Dogs introduced the world to Tarantino's filmmaking skill, and contains all the aspects we now associate (and love) with his films. Making black suits even cooler and ensuring you never listen to "Stuck in the Middle with You" in the same way ever again, Reservoir Dogs is an outstanding début, and one which remains as iconic today as it ever was.

What seems like a simple heist of a jewellery store turns out to be something far more complicated for a gang of criminals. Suspecting one of them to be working with the police after the heist goes awry, the group becomes paranoid and unsure of whom exactly they can trust. With the egos of Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) clashing, Mr. Pink's (Steve Buscemi) paranoia getting the better of him and Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) slowly dying from a gunshot wound, the pressure is on for the gang to clean the situation up with the help of their employees Joe (Lawrence Tierney) and Eddie (Chris Penn). Along the way, we are shown how each member of the gang came to be involving in the heist, and it all builds to an exciting final confrontation where no-one is certain to escape with their lives.

Like all of Tarantino's work, it's the characters of Reservoir Dogs that are the most enjoyable part. All of them play off each other so well, and each is totally unique. Their different approaches on how to handle the situation and the conflicts this leads to are the stand out scenes. Soon after the heist goes wrong, Mr. White and Mr. Pink end up drawing their guns, and Mr. Blonde soon enters the picture to makes matters worse. The performances in this sequence are fantastic, especially Madsen as the psychotic Mr Blonde. He has a way of appearing to be the calmest man in the room, but creating a more disturbing atmosphere amongst the gang at the same time. Tim Roth is terrific as always, with his scenes with Mr. White providing a more emotional edge to the story. Although he spends most of the film bleeding to death, he is still able to have a commanding presence, and Roth does brilliantly portrayed the different sides to this character.The opening scene with the gang sitting in a cafe also aids in giving them depth, as they appear to be just regular guys having a discussion as opposed to the extreme emotions they display later on. It means that the audience is able to have some sort of connection to such as violent group, which makes them all the more unsettling and memorable.

To go alongside such memorable characters are iconic moments which utilise the most common trait of all Tarantino films: violence. In the most famous scene in the film, Mr. Blonde proves just how unhinged he is when he is left alone with a cop being held by the gang. He revels that he amused by the idea of torturing a cop, and proceeds to slash the man's face and cut one of his ears off. All the while, the rock classic "Stuck in the Middle with You" is being played on the radio, which creates a totally unique juxtaposition of film violence. All at once, you are horrified by the actions of Mr. Blonde brutalising a defenceless man, intrigued by the use of the song and finally feeling guilty for laughing when Mr. Blonde talks to the severed ear and asks "can you hear that?". In a more light hearted moment, Tarantino demonstrates a knack for writing and directing a more amusing moment between the gang, when Joe assigns the names for each gang member. With Mr. Pink arguing over the triviality of having a more feminine name than the others, there is a well needed break from the intensity of the heist aftermath and the unsettling violence. And that's where the brilliance of Reservoir Dogs lies. It has everything you could want not just from a good crime film, but from a great film in general. It isn't often that a film has iconic scenes that are both horrifying and funny, and I can't imagine any other filmmaker making them work better than Quentin Tarantino.

My only negative, and it's a very minor one, is the flashback involving Mr. Orange. There's a moment where he is explaining to Joe and Eddie a lie about an event that happened to him. Though amusing, I personally felt the scene dragged, and so my initial interest was lost as the scene went on. It's one of the more surreal moments in the film, with an extensive use of slow-motion and wide angles shots, but the scene doesn't culminate interestingly enough for it to take up this much time.

That being said, Reservoir Dogs remains an incredible directorial debut for Tarantino. In its hour-and-a-half runtime, Tarantino presents his trademark filmmaking style effortlessly. Reservoir Dogs is now considered a classic in the crime genre, and remains a unique film in that field thanks to its well-written characters, interesting use of music and dark humour. Announcing himself as a household name straight away, Quentin Tarantino has gone on to achieve greater popularity through films like Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds, and Reservoir Dogs is always a fun film to look back on and see where all that talent and style developed from.

SPOILER Thoughts on Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

My final review of 2015 was of the most anticipated release of that year, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Now that that film has more than likely been seen by everyone, and my review of the film being spoiler free, I would like to post my thoughts on the moments we all agreed not to reveal. So, for anyone who is still yet to see the film, stop reading now! For everyone else, here are my thoughts on three of the biggest spoilers from the new Star Wars film.

Before its release, much of the build up to The Force Awakens centred around the mysterious new villain, Kylo Ren. With his face hidden behind a mask and a distorted voice, no clues where given as to whom exactly he was. We learn his identity not long into the film, which sets up a key confrontation later. The reveal of Ren to be Han Solo's son was one I didn't expect, though it was hinted by Max von Sydow's character that he initially came from a good family. Like Darth Vader in the original trilogy, having a villain with a personal connection to the heroes makes for greater drama and threat. Having learnt his identity, we then see Ren without his mask in some scenes, which allows him to express himself more and further engage with him. It also gives him a vulnerability, which I thought worked well in developing his character. He had some good comedic moments, too, but was still overall a threatening and engaging villain.

Now the big one. The one thing that nobody saw coming. Han Solo is killed off after a confrontation with Kylo Ren. The scene was very dramatic, with Solo trying to convince Ren that he is being manipulated by Supreme Leader Snoke, the film's Emperor Palpatine-like figure. The confrontation between the two was set up nicely, and you could tell something major was going to happen. I felt as though Ren may kill his father, but there is a brief moment in which he appears to be handing over his lightsaber. Though he ends up using it to kill Solo, this was a very powerful moment in the confrontation, and was superbly paced. Fans of the series will know that Harrison Ford suggested Han Solo to be killed off in The Empire Strikes Back, but this was decided against so that he have a part to play in winning the fight against the Empire in Return of the Jedi. Having him killed off in this first of three films may serve as a pivotal part of the story, as Ren has clearly chosen the dark side, and Rey may seek revenge as she considered Solo a father figure.

The final thing I want to talk about is something people may have suspected when they saw the poster for the film: Where is Luke Skywalker? His voice appears in one of the trailers, but we only see him briefly. On the poster, he isn't there at all. There were all sorts of theories suggesting his absence from fans (one of which suggested the Luke has turned evil and is in fact Kylo Ren). From the opening of The Force Awakens, we are told that Luke has vanished, and that The First Order are after a map that will lead them to his whereabouts. Han Solo reveals that Luke was training Kylo Ren to be a Jedi, but fled once he turned evil. Luke does make an appearance, albeit right at the end of the film, The map leads Rey to the planet Luke fled to, and she offers Luke's old lightsaber to him, all without any dialogue. I liked that there was no dialogue in this scene, as the audience was already anticipating seeing Luke, and so just his appearance in the new film was enough to make everyone excited. It is most likely he will have a key role in the next film, but I felt his brief appearance here was done well. The scene ends rather abruptly, but the scene was so well directed that it felt like a more than suitable way to end the film.

So there you have it, my full thoughts on The Force Awakens. It's not often I do two posts on one film, but the new Star Wars film has offered so many thrills and twists that it felt appropriate to give both a spoiler-free review and my thoughts on those moments that had us talking at length. Next week, I revisit the blood-soaked, fast-talking world of Quentin Tarantino, as I bring you a review of The Hateful Eight...

Final Post of 2015 - First Year of The Big Picture

Welcome to my final post of 2015! It's been eight months since the start of The Big Picture, and here I am writing my last post at the end of what's been a very busy and productive year. This post will be a bit more personal, as I'll be looking at the last eight months of this blog and give some ideas as to what I hope to cover next year.

I suppose I should start by saying thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this blog over the last year. I've been overwhelmed by some of the support I have received from people I know and from fellow like-minded people online. I started this blog as a means to keep productive and share my love of film, and the fact that people have enjoyed what I do is a wonderful feeling. A massive thanks to you all!

In terms of film releases in 2015, I have mainly stuck to reviewing the blockbusters. Films like Star Wars and Avengers felt like a must, as not only am I interested in both franchises, but their enormous success means that they are important in today's market. A lot of the time, though, my posts have been about films that I love, whether they be old favourites like Jason and the Argonauts, or new discoveries such as Martha Marcy May Marlene. I would like to review a greater variety of cinema in the future, perhaps more independent releases and maybe even films that I don't like. I've made a deliberate attempt to not post about films that I don't like this year, as I didn't want my first year of The Big Picture to have many negative posts. Only if I feel I can say something about a film I don't like, but keep it light with a bit of humour, do I think it would be worth posting (see my post on the Green Street films for an example).

I've tried to be a bit more adventurous with some posts this year. I very much enjoyed putting together my Top 10 posts on Not Going Out and Fawlty Towers. Both series are always fun to talk about and it was good to get more of the comedy genre on the blog. I have also done a few comparison posts, which is something I hope to do more of next year. I might also be interested in looking at specific filmmakers for a period of time, as a opposed to franchise releases, which have been covered a fair few times this year.

Later in the year is when things got really busy for me personally. I was back at University to begin my final year of studies, and so I cut down to writing one post a week. I covered the entire ninth series of Doctor Who in this time, with my posts on each episode shorter than my usual amount, Because of this, I decided to refer to these posts as "recaps". My busy schedule meant that I wasn't able to dedicate more time to these posts, and feel like they could have been better overall. I also didn't get round to seeing the final Hunger Games film, which I was hoping to review. In between my studies, I have been working as a TV extra in two dramas: Scott and Bailey and Britain's Darkest Taboos. Scott and Bailey was background scenery, whereas Britain's Darkest Taboos was a featured roles. Both were great to work on, and should be released sometime next year. I'll be keeping to one post a week for now, as I am still busy with University work.

So as we see out 2015, I once again say thank you for the support shown for The Big Picture. I have very much enjoyed my time writing all the posts uploaded this year, and fully intend to bring you more. I wish you all a happy new year. See you in 2016 :)

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Review

"I was raised to do one thing... but I've got nothing to fight for." - Finn.

First things first, I won't spoil anything. As much as I would love to write about every single thing that happens, this really is a film that you should watch without having read too much about the plot and character details. So here we go: we have a new Star Wars film and, thankfully, it's a good one. Star Wars was something I really cherished growing up, and was easily a primary factor in kicking off my interest in film from a young age. I was mesmerised by the action and creatures, and learned to appreciate the story as I got older. The first Star Wars film I ever saw was Episode I: The Phantom Menace back in 1999. I was four years old, and soon after, I endlessly watched the original trilogy on VHS. Back then, the idea of Episode VII was just a dream, and I couldn't see it ever being made. Years later, here I am reviewing it.

I'll describe the plot as briefly as I can. The film is set 30 years after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. After the fall of the Galactic Empire, a new threat has arisen: the First Order. Lead by the mysterious Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), they seek to hunt down any traces of the Jedi, which leads them to the planet Jakku. There, they encounter skilled pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), who possesses a map that will reveal the location of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil). With the map hidden inside his droid companion BB-8, the map must be returned to the Resistance, a small group that oppose the First Order. Eventually, BB-8 joins forces with Jakku resident Rey (Daisy Ridley) and rogue First Order soldier Finn (John Boyega). The team, accompanied by the familiar faces of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), set off to join up with the rest of the Resistance in order to stop the First Order from ruling the galaxy.

Like the original trilogy, the focus in The Force Awakens is all on the characters. Star Wars has never been a franchise that has sold itself on the basis of a complex story, and so you need good characters to keep you engaged. The new characters, Rey and Finn, are both very likeable and are given plenty of depth. Finn strives to do the right thing, despite his connection to the First Order and Rey is troubled by her past. The performances of Boyega and Ridley greatly aids their likeability, and the two of them have fantastic on-screen chemistry. Of course, the film would feel empty without the return of some familiar faces. Harrison Ford, much as he did with Indiana Jones seven years ago, slips back into his iconic role with ease. It was such a joy to see the old players in a new Star Wars film, and to have them complimented by such a talented new cast. Kylo Ren is our villain for this latest instalment, and I felt he was a welcome addition to the long line of Star Wars antagonists. I felt the choice to give him some well handled comedic moments was a smart one, as it shows a conscious effort to make him more than just evil. 

As one would expect, the film has plenty of action sequences. Again, I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoiling anything. Compared to the prequels, which certainly placed action as the priority over story, The Force Awakens structures the action in a way that feels better paced and more natural alongside the story. In some moments in the prequel trilogy, it felt like some of the action was there simply because there hadn't been a fight for sometime. In that sense, the action was just there to keep anyone from getting bored by the lengthy exposition. In The Force Awakens, the action works well with the story because the plot is more character driven, and so ensures the action remains exciting rather than simply being a distraction. 

A massive plus for me was the use of practical special effects. I mentioned in my Jurassic World review that I was disappointed by the film using too much CGI when I had heard a more practical approach was going to be used to bring the creatures to life. In The Force Awakens, CGI is only used when necessary, and so the various monsters and set-pieces look far more convincing and impressive. I hope future blockbuster films follow in The Force Awakens' footsteps in this regard. It always looks better if you can have something really there in front of the camera, rather than using CGI all the time.

My only gripe, and its only a minor one, is that the story felt a little too reliant on a previous Star Wars film. Now, this one has plenty new to offer with its well developed characters and old cast returned for expanded roles, but the basic premise felt a bit too familiar. I am willing to be more forgiving for the film's basic plot, however, as it serves as primarily an introduction to the new characters, and needed to be less exposition filled than the prequels. Hopefully the next instalments in this new trilogy can create a bigger scale plot, but not one that falls into the same problems that plagued Episodes I-III.

I really do want to go into further detail, but everyone has remained so tight-lipped on the details of the plot, characters and action, that I can't help but feel morally obliged to stop here. In short, the film has managed to live up to the huge expectations as both a sequel and re-introduction to series. Gone is the awkward dialogue and length exposition of the prequels, allowing for a more exciting and engaging experience. It celebrates everything that is wonderful about Star Wars, and is sure to please both dedicated fans and new audiences. The force is strong with this one!

Pros:
+ Engaging new characters, and good use of the old players.
+ Good pacing for the action, with plenty of room to develop the characters.
+ Excellent performances from the cast (particularly Boyega and Ridley).
+ The championing of practical effects when possible.

Cons:
- The reliance on a previous Star Wars story formula, but this is only a minor complaint.