Arj Barker: Comedy Festival Review

Arj Barker: Comedy Festival Review

It's Go Time - according to Arj's new show.

The guy known to many as Dave from the Flight of The Conchords is back in his new show and offering up a few surprises to any of those of us who've seen him before.

Channeling Hugh Jackman at the start of the show was a masterstroke and showed a playful side to Arj that's previously been hidden in his last few outings at the festival.

Laid back and laconic are Arj's MO, with a dapper dose of self-referential and self-knowing thrown in for good measure. And added to the mix this year are some truly corny one-liners that are truly hilarious as he parades around the stage.

Arj doesn't do "punchlines" per se, but puts together a series of ideas and ideals as he extols his observational ways on life; from the philosophical punts and points about jobs, his nephews and the environment, Arj is incredibly adept at deconstructing the comedy as it goes along.

He's got a knack of engaging the audience and getting them on side with some smart asides which permeate the show in the most unexpected of places. A surreal jaunt into why you should never buy poetry on the street is a weird aside but one that leaves you in stitches. Likewise, a story about an ex girlfriend takes a turn into a discussion about medieval fairs.

The only minor disappointment in his set is a closing diatribe about diarrhoea; it's not in poor taste just a bit of a surprise from Arj who doesn't need to divert into lavatorial humour. (It's a similar complaint that I've had with other comedians this year) Thankfully though, the crowd laps up every minute so I guess it's on them.

All in all, Arj Barker is a masterful comedian; he jokes at one point about playing the crowd like puppets and to be honest, he really does. We lap up every minute as he regales us with his tales as he takes us on a journey of mirth and amusement. Exuding charisma and charm, there's no one better to spend 90 minutes with - and it's just a shame I had to rush off afterwards to another show rather than chat to Arj afterwards in the foyer, as he sold his wares. Because Arj is someone you want to spend more time with - either on or off stage - and that's a real credit to the extremely warm and affable persona he's made.

Recommended.

Latest ZB movie reviews

Latest ZB movie reviews

Here's the very latest movie review from my weekly appearance on Newstalk ZB.

Jack was off, down Mexico Way, so it was catching up with Wendyl Nissen about the latest releases; this week, it was Robert Redford's film The Company You Keep, Jurassic Park 3D and DVD release Beasts of The Southern Wild.

Take a listen below:

Catching up with Rob Lloyd of Who, Me. And getting a bit geekier

Catching up with Rob Lloyd of Who, Me. And getting a bit geekier

Rob Lloyd's currently here in New Zealand as part of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, with his show, Who, Me. You can read my review of Who, Me. here. After seeing the show, I kind of had a few follow up questions that I wanted him to answer - and he was very generous with his time to do so. Read on below - and worry not, there are no spoilers.
(Rob's show, Who, Me runs at the Auckland Basement Theatre until Saturday May 11th at 8.30pm - you can buy tickets here - and you can follow Rob on Facebook with the Who, Me. site)

 I’m keen to know your reaction when you saw the appointment and reveal of the 10^th Doctor…What went through your mind when you realised that you could in some ways live out your dream as a Whovian, by being a doppelganger Doctor? I was actually kind of annoyed, I said to myself ‘Well there goes your chances of being the Doctor, Lloyd. They’re never going to cast a further Doctor who looks remarkably similar to the 10^th Doctor’. You see in my mind…I actually had a chance of ever playing the Doctor. I know…you should hang out in my mind sometime…it’s a funny, misguided place.

The main theme of your show (aside from the Who references obviously) is one of a celebration of obsession – how did that come about? 
My director and co-devisor Scott Gooding encouraged me to do my first ever solo show ‘A Study in Scarlet (A Study of…)’ about the first ever Sherlock Holmes story. It was just meant to be a show where I acted out the entire story in an hour, playing every character. During rehearsals Scott suggested I include stories of why I liked Holmes, how I got into him etc…revealing little bits about my obsession with him. This seemed to work really well in the show and the feedback was tremendous, so with Who, Me. we decided to explore it more and see if it could still connect with people.

 What have you actually learned about yourself while doing the show?
That it’s okay to be a nerd, that it’s okay to be obsessive but moderation is the key. I realised my favourite times with Dr Who were always with other people…so I shouldn’t keep Dr Who close to my chest…I should share it with other people. That’s what Who, Me. is ultimately about I guess. I love chatting to the audience after the show and hearing their stories about Dr Who. We are a community, we should embrace that more J 

Are there ever moments when you look into the crowd and see flashes of yourself from years gone by – or potentially think "That could be me in future?" How does that feel?
Not really…like I said before I see individual stories. I see a unique adventures of obsession. I see people who have contacted just as intensely with something that I have.

 The audiences are predominantly Dr Who fans – I’m guessing when you started writing this, you wanted to connect with them in a way you didn’t in your younger years?
I guess so yeah. I was so hard keeping Dr Who to myself for so long, I literally had no-one to talk to about to for seven years. I was so frustrating…I actually think it sent me a little crazy to be honest…but I’m definitely making up for lost time now. So many Dr Who fans, so many conversations, so many arguments, so little time.


You’ve been out on the convention circuit a lot in cosplay – and I’m guessing you get asked for a lot of pictures. What’s been the strangest request you’ve received from a fan?
It’s a cos-play photo at a convention…it’s pretty strange to begin with. To be honest I haven’t had really strange requests, I love getting photos with kids, they are awesome! The strangest experience for me was in Adelaide in 2012…an audience member came to see WHO, ME. and despite the fact I name myself Rob Lloyd about 100 times in the show, she still thought I was David Tennant. She kept on saying ‘Thank you so much for coming out David’. I just let her go...

 As a fan and comedian doing a Dr Who themed show, what are your hopes for the 50^th anniversary?
I just want the 50^th anniversary episode to be good. That’s all I want. I’m disappointed we don’t have more episodes this year. I’m worried that they’ve dropped the ball a little and aren’t really respecting the love the fans have, I feel as if we’re being taken for granted in some ways. Kind of like they’re saying ‘Look the fans are going to watch no matter what we do’. Which is true…but look after us please…we’re fragile. As for me as a comedian…I’m taking Who, Me. where ever I can. I’m trying to do every state and terroritory in Australia, I’m in NZ now (awesome) then we're off to Edinburgh and the UK in August/Sept…I just want to get this show to as many people as possible this year.

The big question has to be – have you met David Tennant – and if so, how did you a) handle it and b) what did he make of the show? Ha…I haven’t. I don’t know how I’d handle it. It’ll be tough because I respect him as an actor, I love his work in Black Pool, Fright Night, Broadchurch but I’m not a fan of his Doctor (I know…shoot me). It would be great if he could see the show…I’d love for him to do the show with me…just as a one off…him playing me and me playing the prosecutor…that’d be awesome!

(If not, do you plan to… and how….)
I have no plan at the moment, like the Doctor I’ll ‘improvise’. However I would like someone…anyone…at some point, if they get the chance, to go up to David Tennant and say to him ‘You know what? You look exactly like Rob Lloyd!’ That would make my century, it really would.

Alex Cross: DVD Review

Alex Cross: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Entertainment

From the director of xXx and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and from the books made famous by James Paterson, comes the latest incarnation of detective Alex Cross. This time, Tyler Perry takes on the role of the detective, who's called to a homicide in a swanky part of town. As Cross investigates the case further with his team Tommy and Monica (played by Ed Burns and Rachel Nichols), it soon transpires that the assassin responsible, a sadistic killer known as The Butcher (played by a terrifyingly gaunt Matthew Fox) is going to make it personal.

When the Butcher kills Cross' newly pregnant wife, Cross vows to hunt down the killer - whatever the cost and by whatever means necessary.

Soon, the cat and mouse game begins with Cross on a vengeful hunt as the Butcher edges ever closer to completing his mission 

Alex Cross is somewhat of a bizarre undertaking as a film. It's very trashy, pulpy and quite lacking in any real tension as it spins out its cat'n'mouse game. So in some aspects, it's quite similar to any crime fiction novel. It begins with Cross being shot at in a drain pipe and sees him leaping from a crime scene (after hearing the victim thank him) to Cross playing a game of chess at the local prison with a convicted felon.

Sure, that tells you everything you need to know about Tyler Perry's earnest portrayal of Cross; he's a family man, a detective with a conscience and a simmering bad ass when he's crossed.

But what it doesn't tell you is how appalling some of the dialogue of this film is - and how it hampers it from reaching anything other than the trashy stakes of a churned out crime novel.

Perhaps, the best line of the lot is Cross' intoning "Don't over-think it - I'm just looking for a bad guy" - which really sums up the hammering home of every minor piece of exposition and narrative employed by director Rob Cohen. Why use a swirling camera to capture what skills Cross employs at a crime scene, when you can have his partner and long term friend Tommy urge him to look at the scene and employ his intuitive nature to tell them what they need to know - "Think like him Alex - get inside his mind".

There's no subtlety in this film at all - The Butcher is so mad at Cross for thwarting him that he pins pictures to the wall and rages against them while a moody track plays; one goon actually uses the line "Call Hans - tell him to have my assault rifle ready" with no hint of irony; the crimes against story-telling and dialogue are numerous enough to see Alex Cross arrested on sight. 

Alex Cross is a by the numbers thriller which is anything but exciting and is, sadly, made risible thanks to ham-fisted direction and dialogue.

Extras: Deleted scenes, featurette

Rating:

Song for Marion: Movie Review

Song for Marion: Movie Review

Cast: Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Paul Andrew Williams

Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave star in this film, primarily aimed at the older generation.

Redgrave is Marion, a terminally ill woman whose one joy in life is to attend the local acappella choir, headed by the perkily upbeat teacher (Gemma Arterton). That's despite her grumpy, gruff husband Arthur's indignation. The group's called the OAPz and when they get the chance to sing in a competition, Terence Stamp's Arthur's concerned it's a bridge too far for his sick wife. Throw in an estranged son (played by Christopher Eccleston) and cute granddaughter into the mix and you can see it's heading for trouble.

Song For Marion is a bit of mawkish and manipulative piece, aimed at leaving you blubbering despite its predictable route.

Redgrave and Stamp are the stand outs here as the leads; and one scene where Marion gets a solo really does hit you where it hurts. But once she's out of the picture, the predictability and dreariness of the piece kicks in. The OAPz have their quirky, pensioners-doing-silly-things moments as they sing Salt'n'Pepa's Let's Talk About Sex (I blame Young@Heart for this) and the whole film becomes a gloopy sentimental mess as Arthur decides to become involved.

Curiously, despite the emotional manipulation of the story (Will he reunite with his son? Will he follow Marion's lead into the world of the community hall choir?) the finale is a lacklustre affair with scant hint of any rousing feeling as it plays out. While Stamp's gruff demeanour and general grumpiness is understandable in the face of such overwhelming positivity (and vague annoyingness) he manages to craft a character whom you can relate to and whose presence commands your attention.

All in all, Song For Marion will potentially play well to matinee crowds who don't really want a challenge at all - it's a disappointing misuse of the talents involved.

Rating:

Who Me: Comedy Festival Review

Who Me: Comedy Festival Review

Obsessions.

We all have them - no matter how you bundle them up - that rugby game you attend every week, that team you follow devotedly, that band you covet; it comes in many forms.

But what if your obsession were a TV show, a show which for the majority of its 50 years was not cool and never received the widespread iconic love it did in the last seven years? What if that show were Doctor Who and you were an Aussie fan who got into it back in the 90s? And what if that obsession was threatening to derail your life to the extent of all other matters?

That in a nutshell is the comedy festival Who Me, starring Aussie stand up and performance artist Rob Lloyd. And Rob is on trial for his life in this show, which takes a slightly self-deprecating, self-acknowledging look at what an obsession does for a life.

With boundless energy, and copious amounts of sweat under the theatre lights at Auckland's Basement, there's never anything less than 100% given by Rob on stage.

Taking on the role of the performer, the defendant and the prosecution in this examination of whether his addiction has consumed him and turned him into a lesser person, Rob actually pulls apart the world of fandom in general. (Though I will grant you, if you're a Whovian and know your Yeti from your Judoon, you may get just a little bit more from this show than anyone else).

Theatrical flourishes and clever word play breathe life into this autobiographical tale of growing up a nerd in a small Aussie town where nobody shared your interests. It's almost unremarkable to think that there was ever a time when being a fan of anything - let alone sci-fi - was not cool. These days, it's hip to be square (thanks Huey Lewis) and so the idea of being cast asunder and negotiating the lonely plane of loving something more than others is an alien one to many. But Rob takes something that many of us will recognise in ourselves (if we're honest) and turns it into a  universal story of truth and self-examination. Sure, he's preaching to the converted with a lot of the audience, but his journey is one we'll all see our own traits in.

Passion and addiction are fine bedfellows and they're ones which have clearly plagued Rob throughout his life; with the help of slideshows and references to Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Babylon 5, Joss Whedon (before the Avengers), Rob fires moment after nostalgic moment of fan love onto the crowd with nothing short of empathy. High energy helps his boundless enthusiasm seep among the crowd; and there is one moment which sees the pre-conceptions of Rob and his cosplay turned on their very head - and masterfully done it is. It's clear his background as a drama teacher helps, but I never felt anything but warmth radiating from the stage into the audience.

There's a confessional feel to Who, Me? I grant you we're never but on Rob's side of the argument throughout - but what comes out are a few universal truths which examine and then celebrate what it is to be passionate about something. Sure, it's a look at one man's obsession, but it's also an utterly revered and totally recognisable warm and comedic take on what it means to be a nerd, to be all consumed by something and to shout out that from the rooftops.

The World's End Trailer is here

The World's End Trailer is here

The Cornetto trilogy is coming to an end.

And here's the first trailer for The World's End, starring the brilliant comic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

The World’s End is the third installment of Edgar Wright’s trilogy of comedies, following the successes Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). Mr. Wright co-wrote the script with Simon Pegg, who will once again star alongside Nick Frost. Joining the team are actors Martin Freeman (Shaun of the Dead, The Hobbit), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher).

20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. 

Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

The World's End hits NZ cinemas on October 3rd.

And in summary, cannot wait.