Tag: comedy

Matinee: The Magnificent Dope (1942)

Farran Nehme (@selfstyledsiren) started a wonderful thread of golden recommendations on Twitter the other day, so I bookmarked a few things for when I had a spare moment. This came up first early Sunday morning because it was a the first time I could fit something in (yeah, back on dad duty) because I thought…

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Blithe or No

BLITHE SPIRIT (2020) An impulse purchase this week: I suspect it was the subliminal effect of the tarot spread in the cover image. And I like Judi Dench. And Dan Stevens. And I love Coward, the snap and crackle of his dialogue. Certainly the play could use an update — like removing all the casual…

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Is It Funny? Episode 14: Muriel Spark

Guess who’s back? Staggering up to the finish line just before 2021 ends is another episode of the languishing series Is It Funny? This time we turn to the Scots style icon Muriel Spark, whose books never fail to cheer me. She is both vicious and economical, as well as laugh out loud funny when…

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Is It Funny? Episode 13: Fran Lebowitz & Cool

Guess who’s back? I manage to get all the way through this episode referring only to ‘the Scorsese show’ which of course is Pretend It’s A City, which is on Netflix and has the director following around his pal Fran Lebowitz and chatting with her in various places, as a follow up to his HBO…

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Is It Funny? Episode 12: Rauf Coilyear

It’s Yuletide so I’m getting medieval on you! Yes, it’s the medieval Scots tale of the coal-maker who meets King Charlemagne and despite making some questionable choices due to his testy temper, things turn out pretty well. Bonus of me reading the opening lines in genuine medieval Scots (no comment on the veracity of my…

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Silly Saturday: Princess Charming (1934)

‘What is that?’ ‘That is the revolution, your highness.’ ‘Much too early! So inconsiderate.’ Here’s a peek inside the ping-pong balls that crash about in my brain: yesterday Mr B posted his Film for a Friday Get Cracking, a fine George Formby offering — I assume! You see I started watching it, thinking I could…

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