Sorry summer has been so bad for this blog, I've been super busy with job hunting and life planning and trips away and writing (although not nearly as much as I'd like). I plan to be more organised once term starts again!
#1 Wag the Dog
This is probably one of my favourite films of all time, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want to be cheered up. One of the best black comedies out there and if you were a fan of Dr. Strangelove, then you have to see this. In the context of the subsequent Lewinsky scandal and the bombing of a pharmaceuticals factory in Sudan it really rings true. In terms of media spin and governmental timing, it's as relevant now as it was then. Dustin Hoffman and Robery de Niro make a great time, and watch out for a young Kirsten Dunst.
If this sounds like your sort of thing then Thank you for Smoking is also great.
#2 Monty Python and the Holy Grail
As above there are plenty of other films I could have substituted in this recommendation, but this just happens to be my favourite - especially after I saw Spamalot live for the first time last year. I don't need to talk about how good anything Monty Python is and I highly doubt I'm recommending this to anyone who hasn't seen it. In fact it's more likely that you haven't seen all four series of Monty Python's Flying Circus, so go and watch those instead, then watch the film again. Then go and see Spamalot if you have the chance, because things are always better live.
#3 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Again, Airplane could have easily gone here instead but since it was only on TV last week I felt like this was a more useful suggestion. Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are excellent and you will laugh from beginning to end as the film is surreal bordering on the absolutely ridiculous. Now this is something you should watch if you want to be cheered up at the end of a long day. There are also two follow-ups and although nothing can replace the original, they certainly don't fall as flat as most comedy sequels; so give those a go too.
#4 Four Lions
After trying to explain this to people who don't live in Britain, it has become evident to me that this is something that only a British audience could find funny on premise alone. Written by the fantastic Chris Morris, it's at the same time hilarious and a little bit uncomfortable in places. It shouldn't be funny at all but it's too sharp to feel uninformed and too poignant to be out-and-out satire.
#5 In the Loop
I think I love The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci and the entire cast of this film so much it would have been impossible for me to dislike it. Outside of my obvious bias though, the film is great and I would go so far as to say there isn't a weak moment or character in the entire thing. An amazing performance by James Gandolfini and a must-see if you're a fan of the late Sopranos actor, yet another example of what a great loss to acting he was. Watch it at the moment and have all the relevant context you need without needing to cast your mind back to 2003.
Films that just missed the cut: Shaun of the Dead, The Ladykillers, The Producers, This Is Spinal Tap.
xx
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