Another Movie Guide

“The Ten” (2007) is like the poor man’s “The Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy.” It features the hilarious sketch comedy ensemble from from the much loved cult TV show in a not-as-much-loved feature length film. But unlike “Brain Candy,” the story for “The Ten” does not hold up for the full ninety minute plus running time.

“The Ten” plot features a series of short vignettes, each based on one of the Ten Commandments. It works mainly as one of those so-dumb-it’s-funny movies. Most of the jokes won’t make you laugh out loud, but it does seem like the kind of movie that gets funnier with repeat viewings– if for no other reason than to quote the best lines to your friends.

The film uses narrator Paul Rudd to introduce each vignette, and this linking device is easily the film’s greatest shortcoming. It’s as if the writers used all of their choicest bits in the vignettes, and how to piece it all together was an afterthought. (Which it probably was.) The narrator’s scenes are all about him arguing with his girlfriend, which is unfortunate because we simply don’t care about these characters. They are the least interesting players in a film full of interesting, absurd weirdos.

Weirdos like the skydiver with no parachute who gets stuck up to his chest in dirt. Or his girlfriend, who falls in love with a ventriloquist puppet. Or the ventriloquist’s drug dealer, called the Lying Rhino, whose back story is presented as an animated flashback.

“State” alum Michael Ian Black shows up too, but is criminally underused. His part is so small it’s a cameo, which is downright disappointing.

The best sketch depicts the commandment “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.” It is a hilarious spoof of the “keeping up with the Joneses” syndrome in which a pair of neighbors compete to see who can buy more cat scan machines for their home. Having so (more…)

I love Lucy history began in the evening of the 15 October 1951 when the USA was treated to the first episode of a television situation comedy that was to run for 179 episodes and establish the series as a perpetual favorite. On paper the “I love Lucy” show was just a story of a marriage but what a marriage, what a wife?

1950’s television was awash with programmers about family and marriage and critics may have been ready to rubbish the show but from the very first showing it was a huge success and before long 40,000,000 viewers were tuning in regularly. The shows phenomenal success was largely due to the casting of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez a real husband and wife team as the lead characters and to the team of creative writers who created the story lines which were usually wildly absurd yet still managed a type of hilarious reality.

The show was of its time and in it can be seen the issues and contradictions affecting lives of many Americans women at that time. Looking back at the “I love Lucy” history allows us to see the struggle for change as it was happening. Underneath the cover of the crazy antics and the quirky humour of the very attractive red headed Lucille Ball there could be detected a story line, which continued through the episodes and struck a cord with women. This is contradiction of a woman’s traditional role of homemaker wife and mother and the need to be recognised as intelligent, decision-making individuals in their own right. To escape from the traditional restrictions of domesticity and to move out from the confinements of home, family and financial dependence, to have a life in which they could make choices.

These issues were very real to women in the post war 1950’s and were clearly reflected in Lucy’s continuous rebelliousness to become part of her husband’s world. The I love Lucy history is not really a h (more…)