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March 29, 2024, 08:59:43 AM

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Ricky Gervais - After Life [split topic]

Started by ramsobot, February 22, 2019, 05:39:11 PM

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Sin Agog

Quote from: confettiinmyhair on March 29, 2019, 07:03:03 AM
I think comedy fans expect too much of Gervais. It's like the rock band which begins it's career with the great debut album, you at best can hope for one or two good songs from subsequent albums but you're never going to be able to recapture the magic. The band will also sully that debut album by releasing mediocre material and tarnishing the debut album with Christmas specials and a movie spin-off. Later American bands will copy your template and at first reach the dizzy heights but soon over egg the pudding with too many albums.

Who would've ever expected the drummer to release a better solo album (Sick Of It) than anything the main band have put out in years?  Followed pretty closely by the bassist's own venture, Fighting With My Family.  Of course the lead singer's album (After Life) got more sales, but they all know amongst themselves where the talent lies.

phes

Quote from: confettiinmyhair on March 29, 2019, 07:03:03 AM
I think comedy fans expect too much of Gervais

It's true that Derke was a solo debut the like of which we'll probably never see again. But AfterLife was definitely not a disappointment

St_Eddie

Quote from: confettiinmyhair on March 29, 2019, 07:03:03 AM
I think comedy fans expect too much of Gervais.

I don't expect anything.  I judge each work by itself.

olliebean

If anything, I expect too little. And he still fails to meet my expectations.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

#814
Quote from: olliebean on March 30, 2019, 02:29:36 PM
If anything, I expect too little. And he still fails to meet my expectations.

You'd be better off expecting Syd Little- He'd be a lot funnier !!!

Brundle-Fly

Watched this series all in one lump this week with an open mind.  Refuse to be a knee-jerk CaB Gervaiseist.

I won't lie, I laughed and cried at some of these episodes because the direct similarities to my own personal life experience (right down to the German Shepherd) was a bit too close for comfort, but the autobiographical sub-nihilism left me stone cold.

It all looked DOP lovely, (Detectorists influence?), the entire cast acted their parts convincingly, some great turns from everyone. There were funny lines and moving moments, but fucking hell, I'm completely baffled by it.

Why didn't his brother-in-law (Basden was superb) ever say to Tony?  "I've lost my fucking sister, you (finally warranted use of the word...) total CUNT!"

The constant fat shaming. Yes, we get it, mate.  The open goal should have been Lenny saying to Tony in the final episode, "Well, you're a fat ugly CUNT too"

And surely, rather than this Charles Bronson vigilante conceit, it would have been far more powerful if Tony had the shit kicked out of him at some point?  And the sunglasses thing? Eh?

Aaarrgh! Frustrating. Missed oppo.


Twed

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on March 31, 2019, 02:50:44 AM
I won't lie, I laughed and cried at some of these episodes because the direct similarities to my own personal life experience (right down to the German Shepherd) was a bit too close for comfort, but the autobiographical sub-nihilism left me stone cold.
I'll be honest: The Office, Extras and even Derek made me cry. But I fucking hate Gervais'ss's work. It's just that he leans heavily on easy emotional material to punctuate his stuff. Old people with animals is sweet no matter what.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Twed on March 31, 2019, 03:25:57 AM
I'll be honest: The Office, Extras and even Derek made me cry. But I fucking hate Gervais'ss's work. It's just that he leans heavily on easy emotional material to punctuate his stuff. Old people with animals is sweet no matter what.

It was so aggressively manipulative. Pushed so many of my buttons. Almost felt emotionally violated.

Twed

Yep! I'm with you. I think with Derek I said "fuck you" when I was bawling my eyes out.

phes

In series two Tony will sacrifice himself for our sins

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Twed on March 31, 2019, 03:38:02 AM
Yep! I'm with you. I think with Derek I said "fuck you" when I was bawling my eyes out.

Thank you for admitting that on here.  I was sobbing during some eps of After Life. It's almost pornographic for blokes of a certain age. I feel used.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Twed on March 31, 2019, 03:38:02 AM
Yep! I'm with you. I think with Derek I said "fuck you" when I was bawling my eyes out.

I'm honestly surprised by this!  Not judging, I'm not above emotional reactions to stuff I know is rubbish myself, but I'm curious to know what scene(s) in Derek got that outta you?




Twed

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 31, 2019, 12:54:10 PM
I'm honestly surprised by this!  Not judging, I'm not above emotional reactions to stuff I know is rubbish myself, but I'm curious to know what scene(s) in Derek got that outta you?
Only watched the very first episode. The scene with the animals on the laps of all the old people.

Also Gervais is a good cry actor and it makes my emotions betray my brain.

My mother is Gervais crossed with Hyacinth Bucket, so the entire thing is a huge mental quagmire for me.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Twed on March 31, 2019, 03:51:38 PM
Only watched the very first episode. The scene with the animals on the laps of all the old people.


Load of blatantly manipulative old shit.

Twed

Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on March 31, 2019, 04:48:34 PM
Load of blatantly manipulative old shit.
If you're following the conversation you'll see that's our point.

idunnosomename

Quote from: Mr Farenheit on March 27, 2019, 01:54:39 AM
I thought it was great, you get the usual Ricky poignancy and laughs like in Derek but now he's added retching and murder to the mix

Made a tribute with some of my favourite bits https://vimeo.com/326710965
i laughed at this yes, but also found it deeply sickening

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 31, 2019, 12:54:10 PM
I'm honestly surprised by this!  Not judging, I'm not above emotional reactions to stuff I know is rubbish myself, but I'm curious to know what scene(s) in Derek got that outta you?

If I remember rightly, Kev having to get clean and sober was quite moving.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on March 31, 2019, 06:26:26 PM
If I remember rightly, Kev having to get clean and sober was quite moving.

Yes, David Earl was very good in those scenes.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: gib on March 31, 2019, 02:52:28 PM
DOP?

Sorry, I should have just said, "it was visually pleasing on the eye" rather than use that poncey term as if I'm François Truffaut.

phantom_power

Quote from: phes on March 25, 2019, 10:13:45 AM
Sadly back on topic

https://twitter.com/Vinvin/status/1110108644807458817?s=19

Ricky confirms cliffhanger ending

The funniest part of that tweet is the bloke thinking edgy maverick Ricky was forced to add a happy ending as if it would be beneath him otherwise. Has he not seen The Office Christmas Special, or any of his other work

olliebean

Can't remember where I saw it, but before this series was released he definitely said it was only going to be a one-off series. So if he's now claiming he planned that as a cliffhanger, that's a lie.

phes

but, but...but that would mean he had no vision for the arc of the show. And that he'd just be making it up as he went along. He's going to have to be canny about this or it could end up feeling like it's a collection of half baked ideas that have been bodged together in an awkward and unconvincing manner, more like a collection of memes and soundbites than a story

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

#835
Quote from: Brundle-Fly on March 31, 2019, 06:26:26 PM
If I remember rightly, Kev having to get clean and sober was quite moving.

It would have helped matters in if he hadn't been given free reign to wander around an old folks home, clutching his perpetual can of Special Brew, and being a sex pest, and in one specific case, ACTUALLY FUCKING SLEEPING WITH ONE OF THE RESIDENTS OF THAT CARE HOME, WITH NO- ONE AT ALL DOING ANYTHING TO FUCKING INTERVENE, FOR FUCK'S FUCKING SAKE in the first place. One could argue that it was very moving that he got told to fuck off and quite literally called a cunt in the very, very, moving Chrimbo special of " Derke", in which Kev's family came to visit him in hospital, all being portrayed as hilarious alcoholics and/ or social inadequates . I  was particularly moved  by seeing Kev's dad wheeled in , quite literally, in a wheelbarrow. I was moved to be impressed by that hospital's very liberal attitude towards visitors, and was moved to think " Just how fucking stupid , to the point of holding us in actual contempt, does yer man, Gervais, think we, the viewers, actually are ? Moving stuff, indeed.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Yes, we know all of that. Derek is absolute fucking dogshit, but we were talking earlier about bits of the show which actually moved us. The only bit I found quite touching was David Earl's sincere performance as a man coming to terms with his alcoholism. None of it made any sense whatsoever, it was atrociously written. Manipulative, unearned bollocks, but for a few brief moments Earl managed to transcend what he was lumbered with. He performed those scenes well. A miracle, really. That's all. 

Lisa Jesusandmarychain


phes

#838
I really enjoyed the fish-fingers scene in AfterLife. Probably for the wrong reasons as I get the impression we were being invited to laugh with Tony and enjoy him not giving a shit mate and appalling and owning those power-crazed killjoys at the greasy spoon (in a scene definitely not stolen from Falling Down). It's skin-crawling and hideous in every single way. The calmness of it all, the complete lack of stakes, the smug, almost sociopathic precision with which he goes about exploiting them, the pointlessness of the victory. It's just an awful man doing awful things because he feels like it and if Gervais had committed to that then the show might have been a lot funnier and made more sense

Pancake

Or, to expand on Brundleflies point, imagine if he'd written himself as being a proper total put-upon sad sack, like those school kids you see being gobbed on by bullies in grainy cameraphone footage, then imagine if that kid turned around and lamped one of them and floored him; real stakes, earned victory.

Instead you get the impression that Tony is a wanker even when he's not being a widow.