Classic Comedy - THE GOOD LIFE

Ah yes, The Good Life. 70s self-sufficiency sitcom that inspired and entertained a generation when it was first aired, and a well-affirmed classic comedy well and truly in its own right. Ask anybody who has watched, or has even remotely heard of this one, and I am sure they will say that The Good Life is certainly a classic piece of comedy.Though the show is such a staple and is so well loved, it may surprise some to learn that it only ran for three short years, running from 1975 to 1978.  Yet in that relatively short time (compared to something of Only Fools and Horses longevity for example) it became successfully ingrained on the British psyche, and has remained in our hearts ever since.

In case you are not aware, the basic premise was that Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal respectively, decide to turn on their backs on modern, middle-class, capitalist life and dig up their gardens and ship in their own veg and their own menagerie, in an attempt to become self-sufficient. The series follows their adventures, their highs and lows, their ups and downs, in trying to turn their life around, all the while living next door to social climbers Margo and Jerry, portrayed by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.

That really is all I feel that needs to be said about the plot, for what is really and truly integral to this piece of sitcom gold to me, and to many other fans, are the four characters at its heart. At the end of the day, it is really all about Tom & Barbara and Margo & Jerry, and that is all right by me. For the way in which the various dynamics between these four characters was written, conceived, and portrayed was simply glorious to watch. Each piece of characterization flawlessly charming, each bit of interplay beautifully done. Yes OK I can see what some mean when they say it was a bit "too nice" (yet there was the odd smattering of drama amongst all the wonderfully middle-class laughs) and yes to some it may be a case of middle-class Britain just being splayed upon the telly for all to see. But I just don't care. When the writing is that good, the characters that greatly portrayed, and the actors behind them that talented; it just makes for classic TV.

Tom and Barbara then. Well Richard Briers is great in the role that many define him by. Tom was and still is many people's idea of the iconic male of Britain at that time; humerous, happy-go-lucky, sly, a tad arrogant and a tad overly-exaggerated, but all done in a very playful and charming package. Equally charming was the delicious Felicity Kendal as the wide-eyed, earnest and hardy Barbara. Again, like her TV husband, perhaps a tad stereotyped now, but she fit into the show as the other half of the Goods brilliantly. There is a school of thought that together this pairing made the heart and soul of The Good Life, and of course, without them it would never have worked, despite anything else. Happily they were marvelous, and the delight of the Goods shines bright to this day.

Of course we cannot forget the other duo of The Good Life. In several ways Margo and Jerry were the complete antithesis of Tom and Barbara, but when they overcame their uncommon ground and often came together with quite an impact of interaction, the results were often thoroughly laughable and charming. Margo AKA Penelope Keith was another massive icon that came out of The Good Life, and rightly so. The sheer joy of the would-be-aristocratic, often snobbish and aloof attitude (not to mention those clothes!) that dominated every scene she was in made Margo a joy to watch from start to finish. Likewise her husband Jerry, played by Paul Eddington, was just the right amount of suave, caddish and hopelessly awkward and put upon; a perfect addition to Margo to form the Leadbetter double-act. 

I've used the word "charming" a few times here, but really that is precisely the right term. Classic comedy The Good Life is I maintain, but more than that it is  a series that offered a depiction of life (or even several depictions) that were wonderfully nuanced and full of quintessential charm; the likes of which I feel could never be repeated. Yep, from 4 series, 1 Christmas special and 1 Royal Command performance, The Good Life gave us a sitcom unlike any other, and gave it to us in spades.

RIP Rik Mayall

1958-2014

X-MEN: Days of Future Past

As promised - I got to see X-MEN: Days of Future Past and thus here is my review of it for you lovely people. Wow...just wow. Epically, biblically, astonishingly fantastic! I must admit I was, as I often am with these sorts of films, a tad nervous that it might have overshot on the hype and build-up front. Oh don't get me wrong; I was very excited for this mega-sequel to the X-Men franchise and rightly so. Yet I was slightly wary it could go slightly awry. However, I am happy to say that I feel this film got everything right, for die-hard X-Men fans or otherwise. If I rated all previous X-Men films as being very good to great (for the film-by-film lowdown see my X-Men archive!) then there is no getting away from the fact that to me, Days of Future Past was pretty damn near perfect.

Yep, the much talked about and greatly celebrated return of prolific and original X-Men director Bryan Singer seems to have paid off, as he certainly hasn't lost the fantastic vision and execution of what most believe an X-Men film to be. Not only that, but he has brought the two mutant universes and casts (i.e. the original ensemble and that of the First Class prequel) together to a tee, all encompassed in an utterly unique and thrilling concept/story-line (based of course on the titular classic comic saga) to create a stunningly superb film that keeps you hooked and invested throughout every second.

Of course one of the big promotional pulls, and in the event one of the great elements of the film, is the idea of two generations of X-Men/mutants being united in a common cause. A big ask surely, but as I say Singer directs his cast brilliantly, and I think you'll agree - to say that this is a stellar cast would be a huge understatement! Without wanting to spoil too much, not only that but each and every single one of them always feels integral and justified in their screen time. Naturally some had more than others, but at no point was this considered slanted or unbalanced; each character and each terrific actor was presented in such a way that you always felt you were watching an important facet, to the story and to a great ensemble. Mega-popular Hugh Jackman as the mega-popular Wolverine had a starring role naturally, and still deservedly, but the roles of Magneto/Erik and Professor X/Charles were shared and delivered perfectly, so much so that I cannot choose between the level and wondrous glory of all four - Sir Ian McKellen/Michael Fassbender & Sir Patrick Stewart/James McAvoy. We even had a couple of welcome new faces here and there, such as the masterful Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask. Rather unexpectedly, Jennifer Lawrence was given a more prominent role as Mystique, slightly more so perhaps as opposed to previous films. Whilst unexpected, this again was no bad thing for me, as Jennifer Lawrence is a rapidly rising star  with massive amounts of beauty, charm, charisma and watch-ability, and she was certainly able to show the progression of her character in this film brilliantly.

Progression is another big point to make generally about this film. I think it would have been tempting for them to simply rest on their laurels a bit, take the formula of previous films and just add more; more comic book action, more CGI and more for the sake of more etc. And who knows - this might have worked? But again such is the epic majesty of this film they did this and so much more (more), another element which makes this probably the greatest X-Men film. Rightly so the confidence in what had gone before felt resolutely solid, so we could almost immediately venture into uncharted territory, moving the characters on in a variety of ways. Once again, the joyous fashion in which the cast were brought together within this one was fantastic to watch - for we had the wonderfully envisioned dystopian future with all the original X-Men we know and love, all reassuringly there yet  given new individual twists, plus the First Class team making great leaps and bounds in their development before our very eyes, all interlocked through the marvelous Days of Future Past story line.

If all that weren't enough, again without wishing to proffer any spoilers, the way this film was resolved was not only masterful in terms of the story itself, but also with regards to the fantastic homage to what had been before, and simultaneously what could go on to be. I mentioned before about the massive cast, and I do mean it was massive. Every major character from each film gone before seemed to get either a mention, role or cameo appearance (a few of the key players towards the end). Again really struggling to remain spoiler free, but the way it was done was pure genius in my view and what's more, the future of the X-Men franchise (of which there surely must be - bright and long I think) seems much more open and much more exciting than ever before! Again it all seems to be about progression; yes we are given an absolute belter of a film, but from beginning to end the X-Men universe is seen to be ever-moving and into almost infinite possibilities, much like the comic books upon which the films are based, which I feel is a beautiful thing.

This to me is the greatest X-Men film by far, which considering what has been and gone before is quite a feat as it is a franchise I have been a massive fan of since its early conception. Days of Future Past delivered everything it promised and then some, whilst pretty much guaranteeing a sparkling future for the X-Men universe, and the legions of fans that watch and enjoy it.