Reviews

Even though I found the original short skits of Bruno from the Ali G show to be hilarious if not watchable, the feature length film is rather disappointing. Much of the film is unfunny, not because of the gay content but because the jokes and humour are lame. Supporters of Sasha Baron Cohen and people profiting from the film claim that people didn't like the film because of its offensiveness however it was quite contrary, I don't mind offensive material, it's just that the scenes were so outrageous that it was unbelievable hence unfunny. Sasha Baron Cohen tries to evoke reactions from bystanders and other victims however most of them couldn't care less that he is trying to get a reaction due to the general narcissism and apathy prevalent in modern day society.

Despite the media hype and my expectations, Bruno was a very boring, unfunny and disappointing film.

Let Loose Live is the Seven networks latest attempt at producing comedy. The show is loosely based on the American show Saturday Night Live. The show contains a series of live and pre-recorded sketch comedy routines. The live sketches are broadcast live and performed in front of a studio audience. Being live-to-air, the format gives allowance for spontaneous ad-libbing during sketch performances. The cast is a mix of new talent and experienced comics. Despite retaining sketch comedy cast members from the former highly successful comedy program Fast Forward and prominent comic personalities Dave O'Neil, Colin Lane, Jane Hall & Andrew Curry, the show fails to evoke the same level of humour from past Seven network productions such as Fast Forward & Full Frontal due to poor writing and timing despite having good characters which the cast provide. Sketches seem to lack in humorous content, punch lines and continuity. Many sketches fail to hit the mark in terms of the joke being expressed and receive very little laughter or over-exaggerated put-on laughter from the audience. Unfortunately the show is likely to be axed in the not-to-distant future just like the recent failed Seven Network comedy offerings of 'The Big Bite' and 'Hamish & Andy' unless the standard of humour and script writing is improved.

Each week Eat Carpet presents a collection of short films from around the world. You never know what to expect when watching Eat Carpet. From light-hearted chatter in a French office to nude exhibitionism and sadistic body piercing, anything goes in this truly magnificent presentation of local and foreign shorts. The only thing in common with the short films is that they are usually of abstract nature and aesthetically intriguing. Films are shot on basically anything ranging from 8mm to digital beta. The show does not have a host however contains an assortment of minimalist graphics which succinctly state the running time and country of origin at the start of each film.

Rove is the host of this weekly light entertainment show. Unfortunately most of the material used on the program is basically a lame rehashing of material from other comedy shows. The show severely lacks in originality. For example the most popular segment of the show 'What The?' is a rehashing of a segment called 'Phunny Fotos'(sic) from a past light entertainment variety show called Hey Hey it's Saturday. In fact most of the format is loosely based upon the now axed Hey Hey it's Saturday. Rove is at times embarrassing to watch, he appears anxious and a lot of the time acts on fear which makes the show uncomfortable to watch. He has a tendency to drag out jokes which appear to gain a lot of laughter to overcompensate for the lack of laughter he attains from his other jokes. With Rove it is very much hit and miss affair with his attempts at comedy. Despite all this, he still remains quite popular among the general viewing public due to that there isn't really any other light entertainment variety shows in Australia for Rove Live to be compared with therefore Rove currently sets a low standard for light entertainment which is unfortunately satisfactory for the viewing public to keep watching. Rove Live also features the regular comedic talents of Corrine Grant and Peter Helier whom both accompany Rove with their off-beat sense of humour. With Peter whose humour is based upon ridicule whereas Corrine's humour is based on her use of language structure and delivery.

Six Days is a promotional video for the audio recording 'Six Days' produced by musical artist DJ Shadow. The video is directed by Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. The video's plot is rather complex and decentralised however basically follows a deteriorated relationship in which the female character is inaccessible to the male character which is obsessed. The emotional attachment is metaphorically represented by a numerical figure and the emotional pain and suppression is represented through the subsequent erasure of the numerical figure. The video plays out much like a dream sequence. Wong Kar Wai is notorious for the use of numbers within his films. The imagery is denatured and the use of natural colour is skewed which creates the atmospheric cinematography which matches the atmospheric and melancholic mood of the music and lyrical content.

Spicks & Specks is a musically themed game show in which two teams go head to head using their knowledge of the music industry to answer trivia questions and participate in dinner-party styled games. The show is hosted by stand-up comedian Adam Hills and features the regular team leaders radio show host Myfanwy Warhurst & comedian Alan Borough. Team members consist of relatively well known identities from the entertainment industry. The show is genuinely entertaining to watch as the characters are relaxed and are able to express their charisma and wit creating an exuberant atmosphere. Guests are encouraged to share humorous anecdotes and exhibit their wealthy knowledge of music industry icons. Adam Hills is exceptionally well composed and is very effective as the compère using a combination humour and wit. The program title is taken from the title of a Bee Gee's song.

Rage would undoubtedly be the best music show ever made. They play all the latest music videos plus have all the greatest bands come in and host the show every now and then and let them choose their favourite music videos of all time. Each week they also do the nationwide top 50 countdown of the highest selling CD singles for the week. They have had bands and artists such as Marilyn Manson, Hole, Blink 182, Muse, Jane's Addiction, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, Fatboy Slim and many others come in to host the show. Rage would also be the longest running free to air music video show in the world with runtimes which usually consist of 12 hours straight at times.

Glen Robbins portrayal of the character "Russel Coight" is brilliant. Russel Coight is a parody of the many Australian identities such as the bushtucker man, malcom douglas to name a few, who decided to make documentaries about the Australian outback. Loosely based upon the Leylands series. Glen Robbins puts Russel Coight into embarrassing situations which shows the funny side of human nature when put into awkward and uncomfortable situations. We see Russel's lies and cover ups as everything doesn't go to plan. The way that Russels character is portrayed is just pure genius. If you ever get the chance to see this then definitely watch it or hire/buy the DVD.

The thing that made this show funny was Jimeoin's down to earth comedic skills. Glen Robbins and Bob Franklin were great sidekicks and were vital to the shows integrity. Jimeoin's talent lies in observational humour, pointing out and creating random absurdities. The show featured a selection of pre-recorded skits and humorous theatrical performances in front of a studio audience. A regular segment of the show was Jimeoin's Cooking Show which contained no cooking whatsoever however potatoes would be dressed up to impersonate well known figures and the occasional descent down invisible escalators would occur. Regular characters on the show include Mr Trampoline, Leaf insect man, Detachable Toe & Super Wheelbarrow. One of the funniest moments from the show was when Jimeoin went to a stenciled bike symbol on a bike lane and claimed that it was where a bicycle had died. The show also featured musical guests in which the genre was mainly folk oriented.