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Last night I gave one of my most disappointing movies a second chance.

The League of Gentlemen was one of my favourite TV series, and its dark humour still makes me laugh. The problem with the TV series was the risk that it would become a parody of itself, with catchphrases and recurring characters who essentially had a limited lifespan.

Many of the characters were one-joke characters, similar to those in shows such as The Fast Show. The difference being that in The Fast Show, the  intention was to produce one-joke, instantly quotable characters, placing them in different situations, delivering a few humorous lines before wrapping up with their punchline catchphrases. In 30 second to 2 minute sketches, this is easy to do, but when you have created a whole world (well, village) that these characters live in and interact in, the characters become harder to write for, and less believable as a result.

The first two series of The League of Gentlemen centred around the characters of Tubbs and Edward, the Local Shopkeepers, their plans to disrupt the building of a new road that would bring strangers to their village, and their attempts to find a mate for their son, David (ironically the developer who was building the road from the first series). By the end of the second series, the characters of Tubbs and Edward had got a little worn, and were killed off. The writers took a bold decision here, as they could have easily took the easy route for a few more series with their ‘Local Shop, for Local People’. For the third series, they tried a new approach with a single story that was told from different angles, introducing new characters while reducing of some of the older characters. Series 3 wasn’t as well received as previous series, but it was obvious that the writers wanted to take a step away from their creations.

The announcement of a League of Gentlemen movie genuinely excited me, but could you turn a half-hour show into a full length movie?

When I saw the movie for the first time, I thought it was terrible. The characters escape from the fictional world of Royston Vasey and enter our world in a ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ way, the humour coming from the fact that these cartoonish characters were interacting with normal people.

The low budget was particularly evident, and the diversion into a story-within-a-story-within-a-story seemed nonsensical, and not relevant to the plot at the time.

I suppose my initial reaction was also coloured by the fact  that two of the main characters were two of my least favourite - Herr Lipp and Geoff Tipps.

Lipp I’ve always found too creepy and his innuendos the least funny. Geoff just rude and not very funny (which I suppose is the point of his character.) However, on second viewing, these were possibly the best selection of characters to use for the movie.

The opening sequence where Tubbs, Edward and Papa Lazarou confront writer Jeremy Dyson (the unseen gentleman, and again, played by someone else) sums up the fact that most of the characters are too bizarre to exist in the ‘real’ world. While the murderous butcher Briss is possibly the most extreme character of the bunch, he is also the most intelligent and perfect as a leader.

Lipp is a one-joke character, and actually has quite a good story arc in the movie, where he comes to realise that he is a one-dimensional character, and craves to be seen as more than a stereotype. His final rant filled with his trademark innuendos is not meant to be humourous, and draws another parallel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he is almost like Jessica Rabbit - “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way…”

The premise that the actors are fed up with playing the characters they have played for the last 10 years and want to go on to other things, is believable - As parodied in the excellent episode of Father Ted ‘The Mainland’, Richard Wilson (a respected Shakespearean actor) is constantly being taunted by Ted saying his catchphrase from ‘One foot in the Grave’: ‘I Don’t believe it!’. The League of Gentlemen are actors and want to be remembered more than ‘Are you Local?’ or ‘Okey-cokey-pig-in-a-pokey! Good Morning Jobseekers!’.

The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse is a tribute to those characters - a fond farewell.

Since this film, the actors have all gone on to do other projects, from Dr. Who to Lassie.

The final twist in the film that it is all in the mind of Jeremy, the one who is not prepared to let go of Royston Vasey is particularly poignant, as well as being amusing in that his original plan for everyone to have tails. The idea that the writers have not all perished leaves the village of Royston Vasey alive as long as the writers stay alive, and we have the possibility to return there one day.

It ain’t over ’till it’s over

I finally got round to watching Rocky Balboa on DVD, having missed it in the cinema. When the sixth installment of the Rocky Franchise was announced I was disappointed, and didn’t believe that there could be another part to the Rocky story.

I think it was a very wise decision to title the film “Rocky Balboa”, as opposed to “Rocky VI”. This is not a “Rocky” film, more it is a film about Rocky. It is more of a character piece than the previous installments, with the first hour containing no boxing, other than in the title sequence which merely sets up the back story of Rocky’s Opponent for the inevitable finale.

While I feared with my previous rant post that it would be a vehicle to boost Stallone’s ego and frankly limp career, Stallone actually lets the story tell itself. The characters around Rocky become more than window dressing, and get room to breathe alongside the larger-than-life character of Balboa. Marie, the young girl from the first Rocky film provides both a link to the series past, but also allows for a positive female role. I always thought Adrian was far too discouraging of Rocky - having a character believe in Balboa’s ideals (however misguided they might have been) is a breath of fresh air.

The other minor characters are a bit hit and miss - the plot thread contrasting Rocky’s son resenting his father’s ‘big shadow’ and Marie’s son gaining some self-belief is glossed over, and doesn’t really get as much gravitas as it pehaps deserved. However, with a 90 minute running time and several plot angles to explore, some things have to fall by the wayside.
However, the star turn is surprisingly by Burt Young. As Rocky’s brother-in-law Paulie has never been a likeable character, he bullies his sister, was resentful and jealous of Rocky’s success, and was even the instigator of Rocky’s bankruptcy. However, with the assistance of some of the best lines in the film, Young injects a spark into the character that finally makes him a lovable rogue.

Perhaps the most jarring part of the movie, and one which people will love or hate are the certain sections of the finale fight that switch into black & white. The boxing in the film is more ‘real’ than we’ve seen before in a Rocky movie, and even in the behind the scenes features, Stallone states that for the first time, the punches are real - they actually land (much to the director, and I’m sure Stallone’s insurers disapproval). Raging Bull was shot completely in black & white, and Scorcese made that decision to make the fights look more brutal. With Rocky, it doesn’t work - bright primary colours have defined the series.

Overall, an enjoyable movie and one I will watch multiple times, but despite all its efforts, I still don’t see it as part of the Rocky franchise, more of a companion piece.

Last night I saw one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve been to in recent years, with a band I never thought I’d go to see.

If you only know the swedish rock group Europe for their massive hit “The Final Countdown”, you’ve not heard Europe at all. I’ve had The Final Countdown for a number of years, on both casette and CD, and while the title track is the epitome of 80’s Hair Metal, the rest of the album is a much rockier sound, which is more of what Europe’s music is like.

Since their reformation in 2000, the band have released two new albums, and toured both of them. I missed out on the “Start From The Dark” tour, due to it clashing with another concert, so I was determined to see them this time.

No support act meant that Europe had their hands full as they had to warm the crowd up, blasting straight in to “Love is not the enemy” from their newest album, the initial response was somewhat subdued, but quickly warmed up.

Interestingly, many of the parts that I thought were guitar on the album are actually keyboards, but that’s not to take anything away from John Norum’s playing. A fantastic bluesy player, and great performer (Like Richie Sambora, every note causes pain to etch across his face).

Each band member had a solo, which was just the right length - sometimes guitar solos (and particularly Bass solos!) go on for far too long. The shortest “solo” was drummer Ian Haugland - 4 bars that lead straight into “Cherokee”, but the best solo was Norum’s; a fusion of styles leading into the opening lick of “Girl From Lebanon”.

With a wide catalogue of great music to choose from, there are always favourites that will be missed off. For me, “Hero” and “Prisoners In Paradise” were notable omissions.

The sign of a good concert is one where you don’t notice the time fly, and “The Final Countdown” came all too quickly.

If when you think of Europe you think of hairspray and lipstick, consider listening to “Start From The Dark” - and you’ll discover a different side to the band.

Set List: (as far as I can remember - and not in this order!)

• Love is not the enemy 
• Always The Pretenders
• Superstitious
• Seven Doors Hotel
• Rock The Night
• Carrie (Acoustic)
• Cherokee
• Yesterday’s News
• Girl From Lebanon
• Got to have Faith
• Flames
• The Getaway Plan
• Let The Children Play
• Forever Travelling
• The Final Countdown

The White Room The KLF
As an ardent Heavy Rock fan, you might be surprised to find The White Room in my collection, but it is one of my favourite albums of all time.

At the time, I had no idea what Stadium House or Ambient House music was, and to be honest, I still have trouble with the differences between House and Garage music. I just knew that I liked some of The KLF’s songs, and most of those were listed on the track list of this album.

Pidgeonholing and labeling aside - this record was released at the peak of The KLF’s popularity, having just released the single “Justified & Ancient” with Tammy Wynette. The single peaked at #2 in the UK single charts, but this album is a complete departure from the radio-friendly commercial material that The KLF had been releasing.

Perhaps as a departure from the commercial world that Caulty & Drummond aped so much (to the point where they were to eventually delete The KLF’s back catalogue and burn the £1M royalties they still had remaining). This album is a mixed selection of ambient chill-out and loud ‘Stadium House’ - House music mixed with crowd noises and a large ambiance, making the music sound as if it was being played in a large stadium.

I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by the album, as the versions of the chart songs I was familiar with were different. In fact, if you’re used to the source material and listen to the album with those expectations, it feels like a collection of outtakes and ‘b-side’ mixes.

However, for some strange reason, I keep coming back to this album…
You can only listen to it as an album - individual tracks flow into each other, and the vocals reflect various themes across songs - prominently the Justified & Ancient melody, which opens the album, and also features on track 7 “No More Tears”.
Unlike a lot of music from the late 80’s/early 90’s, this album still sounds as fresh as ever. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true… Perhaps because it is so unique it has stood the test of time.

Lyrically, it is nothing clever, witty or cerebal, but musically it is something else.

I’d highly recommend getting this album, listening to it a couple of times, and then leaving it alone for a couple of years - putting it on when you’re a bit bored with your record collection and rediscover it as opposed to just listening to it.

I’m hoping that I’m wrong about Bat out of Hell 3. Using one of my free iTunes downloads, I downloaded the first single from the album: It’s All Coming Back To Me.

Most people will know it from the Celine Dion version, but that itself was a cover. The original was written by Jim Steinman for his girl-band project Pandora’s Box.

This version sees Meat Loaf duetting with Norwegian singer Marion Raven, and I must say it is quite stonking.

Raven’s voice takes a while to get used to - IMHO, her voice is a little child-like and nasal, but after the first couple of listens, it doesn’t grate as much. For the time being (at least until Google notice it!) you can watch the video at YouTube. It’s not the best of his videos (that place is reserved for the Michael Bay epic “Objects in the rearview mirror”) but it’s quite good.

Featuring all the trademark overblown operatics that characterise any Meat Loaf song, it certainally whets my appetite for the forthcoming album. With Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Aerosmith) producing and writing, perhaps it is in safe hands…