Life Is Short
Nov. 25th, 2011 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poliphiloI've watched the first three episodes now. Some fun was to be had from seeing Hollywood "A"listers playing monstrous versions of themselves. Otherwise...
I haven't taken offence. I think comedy is meant to bust taboos, though I don't think the taboo about mocking dwarves is one that particularly needed to be busted. Last night's show featured a drunk dwarf taking his trews down and being "sick on his own penis". And, yeah, we saw it happening. Was it funny? I guess it might have been if we hadn't become inured to this kind of boundary pushing. Life is Short comes at the end of a decade in which all the coolest comedies have been cruel- and shock tactics no longer shock.
Another thing that's getting to be old is the comedy that pretends it's a documentary.
Finally, Warwick Davis isn't a comedian. He's channelling David Brent but without whatever it is about Ricky Gervais that made David Brent funny. His character is a monster but not an engaging monster. This isn't his fault- exactly- some people are funny, some aren't. If he were, it's possible none of the criticisms I've made would matter very much.
I haven't taken offence. I think comedy is meant to bust taboos, though I don't think the taboo about mocking dwarves is one that particularly needed to be busted. Last night's show featured a drunk dwarf taking his trews down and being "sick on his own penis". And, yeah, we saw it happening. Was it funny? I guess it might have been if we hadn't become inured to this kind of boundary pushing. Life is Short comes at the end of a decade in which all the coolest comedies have been cruel- and shock tactics no longer shock.
Another thing that's getting to be old is the comedy that pretends it's a documentary.
Finally, Warwick Davis isn't a comedian. He's channelling David Brent but without whatever it is about Ricky Gervais that made David Brent funny. His character is a monster but not an engaging monster. This isn't his fault- exactly- some people are funny, some aren't. If he were, it's possible none of the criticisms I've made would matter very much.
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 04:57 pm (UTC)I believe the current term is 'mocumentary'. And whilst we're on the subject of tired ideas, I'll toss 'found footage' movies into the mix.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-25 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-26 09:28 pm (UTC)