Comedy, Issue 693
20 articles
Sorted by popularity / date
Interview: Stewart Francis
28 Feb 2012
The Canadian comedian discusses Bill Hicks, Ricky Gervais and the other Stu Francis
When he first arrived in the UK, there was a recurring subject that would crop up around any discussion of Canadian comic Stewart Francis: was he aware of the iconic 80s kids show presenter who shared that name and boasted a catchphrase about his…
Craig Hill talks about his comedy hero Victoria Wood
28 Feb 2012
'It’s all about delivery, tight writing and use of language'
There are a few comedians who inspire me because I like their style. One of them is Ross Noble who I think is an off-the-cuff genius; the first time I saw him I thought how is he able to do this, he’s connecting all these subjects as though he knew them…
Interview: Sally Phillips - writer of The Decoy Bride
17 Feb 2012
Ex-Smack the Pony performer on fish pie, Narnia and Rear of the Year
First record you ever bought ‘A New England’ by Kirsty MacColl. Last extravagant purchase you made A much larger than necessary Mac desktop. First film you saw that really moved you The Decoy Bride. Last lie you told See above. First…
GFF 2012 - Opening Gala: Your Sister's Sister
17 Feb 2012
Mumblecore director Lynn Shelton introduces her latest film at the opening of the Glasgow Film Fest
Director Lynn Shelton was at the Glasgow Film Theatre last night to introduce her opening gala feature, Your Sister's Sister. She seemed ecstatically happy to be there, hugging co-director Allison Gardner ahead of the screening. Then, after the usual…
Interview: Doug Stanhope on politics
16 Feb 2012
The controversial comedian discusses his political beliefs ahead of his UK tour
How would you describe you political views? I don’t really like describing myself in those terms, but if I had to, I’m kind of an anarchist, just in a quiet way. I’ve been following the election at the moment [for the Republican presidential…
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
10 Feb 2012
By-the-numbers old age comedy drama
Early in this by-the-numbers comedy drama, a young salesperson eagerly enthuses to retiring couple Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton) that 'the grey pound is very strong at the moment'. We’re quite clearly supposed to see this…
Electric Man
8 Feb 2012
A patchy, if well intentioned, Edinburgh-set comic comedy
(12A tbc) 98min Shot in Edinburgh on a micro-budget, comic shop comedy Electric Man declares its intentions from the off: this is to be no social realist kitchen sink drama, typical of the UK film industry, but rather a light-hearted love-letter to…
GFF 2012 - Day planner
6 Feb 2012
Our highlights for each day of the Glasgow Film Festival
It can be difficult, when any festival rolls around, to decide which events to skip in favour of others. Searching rigorously through the programme, referring back to the calendar, trying to fit in as much as possible - it's a painstaking piece of work…
Interview: Zach Braff, writer, director and star of All New People
2 Feb 2012
The Scrubs and Garden State star discusses his new theatre production
‘I’m still Jenny from the block,’ says Zach Braff after a moment’s reflection. ‘Even now I feel a bit underground in the acting world.’ For those who enjoyed Braff (and 20 million viewers around the world did) as the lovable JD in US comedy drama…
Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy
2 Feb 2012
The Boosh performer's latest TV effort abounds in surrealism but lacks coherence... and jokes
Ahead of his new gaudily-coloured clutter-fest, Noel Fielding admitted that making this solo series left him feeling a bit unhinged. After ingesting just a few minutes of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy (E4, Thu, 10pm) only the most avid Boosh fan will…
Young Adult
2 Feb 2012
A fiercely dark comedy from Juno writer-director team Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman
(15) 94min This reteaming of Juno director (Jason Reitman) and writer (Diablo Cody) is a fiercely dark character comedy that once again demonstrates the pair’s refusal to be limited by genre conventions, no matter how sacred. The set-up is…
Interview: Comedian Chris Ramsey's Offermation
2 Feb 2012
The genial Geordie discusses offensiveness and award nominations
During Chris Ramsey’s stand-up appearance on Russell Howard’s Good News from 2010, there’s a moment when the camera cuts to a shot of happy, laughing people. In among them is one seemingly less than amused woman who appears to have taken offence at the…
Late'n'Live Guide to Comedy
2 Feb 2012
The greatest hits of the legendary Fringe bear-pit makes an appearance on TV
‘The performing equivalent of self-harm’ is how Johnny Vegas describes the bearpit hell of the notorious Late’n’Live. Brainchild of the Gilded Balloon’s head honcho Karen Koren, this Edinburgh Fringe staple has been sending chills down the spines of…
Keara Patricia Murphy: My comedy hero - Billy Connolly
2 Feb 2012
'He destroyed me. No one else comes close'
I first heard Billy Connolly on a record of my dad’s when I was seven. He was talking about welly boots and the Barras and telling funny stories about Jesus being born in the Gallowgate and not Galilee. He created a magical world outside my window that…
5 things you might not know about Tiffany Stevenson
2 Feb 2012
The actress comedian from Talk Radio to Show Me The Funny
1 Tiffany Stevenson began her career in the entertainment biz as an actress and has appeared onscreen in The Office, took a lead role in gritty indie feature Spinning Candyfloss and popped up in Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Dirtee Cash’ video [see below]. 2 Her…
The Muppets' most memorable moments
1 Feb 2012
A gallery of clips from our favourite frog and his friends
The Muppets have a string of movies to their names already, including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. Never ones to shirk away from serious film, darling, they’ve also had cameos in…
Interview: John C Reilly on Carnage and Terri
1 Feb 2012
The actor discusses his prolific rate of appearances in both higher and lower profile movies
‘I have been a busy boy, haven’t I?’ grins John C Reilly. And it’s true. Last seen as the luckless father in We Need To Talk About Kevin, the Chicago-born actor now stars in Roman Polanski’s Carnage and US indie Terri. Factor in two major upcoming…
Jemima Levick on Steel Magnolias revival
1 Feb 2012
The theatre director aims to retain the humour and tenderness of Robert Harling's original script
‘I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special,’ says Dolly Parton as brassy hairdresser Truvy in the 1989 film adaptation of Steel Magnolias. The country singer led a cast of big name Hollywood hitters that included…
Carnage
24 Jan 2012
Polanski's comedy of upper-middle class savagery is fast, funny and filthy
(15) 79mins Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s play Gods of Carnage opens with a playground spat. Set over the opening credits, it’s this innocuous bust-up that drives the bitterly funny four-hander, as the parents of both children try to…
The Adopted
24 Jan 2012
Quirky, saccharine directorial debut from French actress Melanie Laurent
(15) 100 mins Still only 28-years-old, French actress and musician Melanie Laurent makes her directorial debut with this offbeat family tale, which owes more to her recent performances in US indie Beginners and the sentimental melodrama The Concert…
